Maerynn's Miraculous Short Stories
by Maerynn
Summary: Collection of short stories about the Miraculous LoveSquare. Fluff, angst, crack, there's something for everyone. My stories were becoming confusing, in between the multi-chapters stories, the drabbles and the one-shots. So I chose to gather all my short stories here, so it would be easier to find them. Every chapter is a different story, and will have the proper warnings if needed
1. Chapter 1: Wrapped with a Nice Little

_Marinette takes in a stray kitty on Christmas' Eve. To thank her, he offers to give her the thing she wants the most. What if the gift her heart truly wants can't be wrapped?_

 _For Totally_Lucky_

* * *

In Chat Noir's defense, he had remained in plain sight barely a few seconds. Surely not long enough for just anybody to spot him there, all by himself, standing on a random rooftop on Christmas Eve.

But Marinette was not just anybody. She was Ladybug, after all, and her eye was very well trained at spotting her partner no matter where he was. So, when she caught sight from the corner of her eye of a boy clad in black leather from head to toes ducking behind a chimney to avoid being seen, her mind instantly kicked in second gear. A quick glance to Tikki eating her cookies on her desk confirmed her that no, there weren't any akumas on the loose unbeknownst to her in Paris' streets. Reassured that there was no menace requiring her immediate attention, that left only another explanation for her kitty's weird current whereabouts.

A truly heart-wrenching explanation.

Hoping with all her heart that she was somehow wrong, Marinette opened the skylight and pulled herself onto her balcony, praying that by some miracle, her parents wouldn't call her down for the Christmas' dinner just yet. She cautiously made her way to the railing, trying to spot her leather clad partner in the darkness. "Chat Noir? I know you're out there. Come here, kitty, kitty."

A loud groan resonated in the cold December night, followed by a soft thud as the here landed beside her on the balcony. Chat Noir rose to his full height, obviously displeased with the outcomes of his evening so far. "Evening princess. Why did you summon me here tonight? Surely you have better things to go, gifts to unwrap, hugs to receive or whatnots."

Marinette could see that he was trying, really hard, to sound like his usual joyful and silly self - but failing miserably.

Crossing her arms in front of her, the blackette asked coyly, "What are you doing out there alone, Chat? Ladybug sure isn't mean enough to make you patrol on Christmas Eve, now is she?" knowing fairly well the answer to that question.

Chat visibly deflated, looking at the ground as he spoke, "Of course not… my… family is overseas as we speak, and I wasn't feeling that great alone in the house."

Trying to overlook how he said "house" instead of "home" and how the word "family" had seemed to roll unpleasantly on his tongue, Marinette unfolded her arms, taking in his disheveled appearance at once, "So you went for a run on the rooftops instead."

Chat Noir grinned sheepishly, "It's the second best thing besides talking to Ladybug. And I didn't want to bother her with personal civilian stuff tonight out of all nights, so…"

"Wait here." Marinette cut him short, running down the stairs like her tail was suddenly on fire.

Rushing into the bakery's kitchen, the young designer barely took time to gather her thoughts before speaking her mind to her parents, "Mama, Papa, if I had a friend that was like, really alone tonight, would you really mind him joining us for dinner?"

Sabine Cheng smiled knowingly, as her husband chuckled loudly, "Of course not, my little cupcake. There's more than plenty of food for that added guest of yours. Besides, no one should be alone on Christmas if they can help it."

Fidgeting with her fingers, the young designer sighed loudly, "Just promise me to stay open minded, okay? He's not.. the usual friend you could think of."

Both of her parents nodded eagerly in agreement, now very curious about their unexpected guest, and Marinette rushed back upstairs, rudely coaxing a taken aback Chat Noir into her kitchen on the sole basis that her parents were on board with that sweet but insane plan of hers.

If Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng were surprised to see Paris' superhero going down their daughter's stairs, they didn't let it show the slightest. Instead, they made a point of welcoming him with open arms and warm hugs, introducing themselves to him with wide grins. They handed him a plate of food, seated him beside their daughter at the family table, and went on with their evening without any further hitch.

They ate a delicious meal in comfortable conversation, merely disrupted by Chat Noir and her dad's constant flow of puns. Both of their future plans were laid in the open and heatedly discussed upon (he never had a clue Marinette intended to enter ESMOD, even though she definitely had the potential to, while the young woman had been somewhat surprised to learn that he was seriously considering a teaching career). Marinette was discovering an unknown side of her partner, the goofy and exuberant kitty proving to be a rather polite and well-mannered guest with a definite tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve.

And never did her parents commented on the fact they had an actual superhero in their livingroom, or did Marinette acted like it was out of the ordinary to have Chat Noir seated at her table, cracking puns after puns with her dad and praising her mom's cooking to no end.

They played video games relentlessly, Tom and Chat Noir teaming up on Marinette and failing altogether to defeat her still. Her partner proved to be as far from a sore loser as one could get, instead obviously taking a liking into her little victory dances, laughing heartily at her antics and never refusing a rematch. Looking at him, Marinette felt like she was truly seeing him for the first time. Never before had she seen him so relaxed, so unguarded around her. He was sporting a toothy grin all through the evening, a real smile that reached his green unique eyes.

And looking at him like that, so happy and at ease into her home, made her heart do a few backflips into her chest.

After a while, once her parents had long gone to bed, the unwelcomed weight of reality came crashing back on her shoulders as Chat Noir and her seated themselves side by side on her balcony, buried under a thick blanket.

Soon enough, she'd have to reluctantly let him return to an empty house, to his loneliness. But right then, she wanted to make their moment last.

Because right then, pure glee had replaced the sadness within the familiar green eyes.

When he spoke, Chat Noir's voice was full of reverence and gratefulness, "I've had the best Christmas I could have hoped for, all thanks to you princess. How could I ever repay you?"

Giggling, Marinette flicked his bell aside, a playful look in her eyes. God, what wouldn't he give to see that Marinette at school, the one that was funny and witty, that rolled her eyes at his dumb puns and told the best stories. The one that was just like the Marinette he knew from afar, just even better, and that he couldn't ever seem to see for himself from up close as Adrien.

"There's no need to repay me, minou. It was my pleasure to take a stray kitty in for Christmas and bring him a little bit of warmth. Besides, I already have everything I need."

This time, it was Chat Noir's turn to roll his eyes. "Try me, princess. There has to be something you want and don't have. I'll give it to you without a blink, no matter the cost. What you did for me tonight was incredibly kind and selfless of you. So, what is it? Sewing supplies? Drawing material? A brand new sewing machine would be rad in your room. Oh, I know! How would you feel about a graphic pad?"

Her bluebell eyes suddenly lost their playful glint as they fixed themselves on the horizon, and Chat Noir wondered what he could have possibly done to turn it off like that. When she spoke again, her voice was faint and distant. "You know, Chat, sometimes, the things you'd need to be happier don't have a price tag on it. And aren't that easy to wrap with a nice little bow on top."

Startled by the sudden mood change, the superhero crept closer to her under the blanket, turning her head toward him with a gloved finger and resting his forehead on hers, "Tell me, please. Tell me what could make you happier. If I can make it happen, I'll do it."

"There's nothing you can do, silly kitty. Some things just aren't meant to be."

His laugh was dry, humorless. "Humor me, Marinette. What it the world could you possibly want that you wouldn't be able to get one way or another?"

There it was again, the odd tug at his heartstrings. The way she was looking away, hunched over herself, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She was so beautiful, how could he have overlooked that all of this time? And he was lucky enough to know her, to be a part of her life. He knew plenty of little things about his friend, from her favorite color (pink, obviously), to her weird habit of chewing on her bottom lip when she was nervous, the pattern of her freckles that he had come to know by heart. One doesn't spend that many lunches trying to avert his eyes from Alya and Nino's intense kissing sessions without learning a thing or two about his companion of misfortune. Things he wouldn't ever get to know about Ladybug, all thanks to secret identities and magic masks. He loved his partner dearly and trusted her with his life without a second thought, but being with her was unattainable, a foolish fantasy. That certainty had been anchoring itself deeper and deeper into the young man's mind in the past months, and now that he had tasted an evening with a friend whose life he could actually envision sharing someday, he wasn't too keen on going back to his sterile, organized life.

Her voice suddenly pulled him out of his thoughts, "You're going to laugh at me."

"What? I would never, princess. Please, tell me. What is it that your heart truly wants for Christmas?"

"Well", she started, still cautiously avoiding his eyes, "there's this boy in my class whom I like very much. But he doesn't even notice my existence, so this is useless. I don't even know why I mentioned it."

Chat Noir cringed. He was in love with Ladybug, wasn't he? So why in the world Marinette's admittance at liking someone in their class stung that much? He suddenly felt like she had just ripped his heart out of his ribcage and stomped on it without any second thought about it. Who could it be anyway? Kim? Nah, he was way too loud and hyperactive for sweet and caring Marinette. Max? Nah, too cold and cerebral for an accomplished artist like she was. Wait. Marinette was an artist. It had to be Nathanael. It made sense. Nathanael was quiet, shy, artistic and kind. The perfect match for Marinette.

If it made so much sense, why did Chat Noir felt acutely the pang of jealousy ripping his heart apart?

Forcing a semblance of normalcy into his voice, he quietly answered, "Are you so sure about that, princess? I find it hard to believe that a boy in his right mind would be able to overlook your presence in his very classroom."

The blackette sighed, a long, desperate sigh. "You don't get it. He and I… we aren't on the same grounds. I mean, I love my parents and all, but I'll only ever be a baker's daughter…"

"Why is that a problem?" Chat Noir heard himself ask, obviously having lost control over his own mouth. Marinette, however, suddenly rested her head on his shoulder, shrugging in defeat.

"We aren't on the same level, that's all. I mean, look at me. I'm nothing but good old Marinette, hopeless clumsy mess, can't for the life of me think before I talk, always getting myself into impossible situations. And he's so kind and selfless, so smart and funny… I can't even manage to think straight when he's within a ten feet radius from me, so it's doomed before it even started."

His mouth suddenly very, very dry, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around the lithe figure of the blackette pressed against his chest. "Well, you're both artists, there is certainly some common ground you can find and speak to him about."

She chuckled against his chest, her grip tightening onto the leather on his back. "I'm not quite sure I would call modeling art, but if you say so, minou."

Wait. What?

"Modeling!?" He tried. He tried really hard to keep the sheer astonishment he felt from his showing in voice but obviously failed, as Marinette instantly stilled in his arms.

"You think I'm shallow now, don't you? But I swear my feelings for Adrien have nothing to do with his modeling job. Actually, I despised him when I learned he was a model. I thought he would only be a male version of Chloe Bourgeois, the mayor's daughter. It was only when he lent me his umbrella and got wet on my behalf, when he took the time to explain me what truly had happened that day in the classroom… That's when I really fell for him. Hard. I mean, he's so sweet, and always so thoughtful, and of course, it doesn't hurt that he's a living greek god but-"

"What if I told you Adrien Agreste is dying to get to know you better and actually likes you? Like, a lot?" the superhero suddenly blurted out, unable to hear her praise him further without speaking what truly was on his mind.

Marinette pulled away from him, shaking her head, "Chat, stop, please. It's really mean of you to toy with my heart like that."

He smiled at her shyly, taking both of her hand into his. "Mari, please, close your eyes. I think I have the perfect Christmas gift for you."

"What kind of trick are you going to pull out on me?"

Chat Noir forced himself to smile, even if he felt so nervous he ought to be sick at any given time, "No tricks. I promise. Close your eyes, princess. Please?"

Still wearing a guarded expression, Marinette nonetheless obliged, her eyelids fluttering closed on the bluebell irises he found himself addicted to.

A bright flash of green suddenly illuminated her balcony as he released the transformation, and Adrien saw Marinette still before him.

"Chat?" she asked tentatively. Placing a gloveless hand onto her cheek, Adrien purred lowly:

"Open your eyes, Marinette. Please?"

And she did.

As soon as Marinette Dupain-Cheng opened her eyes, her heart stopped beating.

For, sitting beside her on her balcony, his shoulder brushing hers as his fingers gently cradle her cheek, a deeply pleading look in his grassy green eyes, was Adrien Agreste right in the spot where Chat Noir had been sitting seconds before.

She froze, her mind reeling as she slowly pieced two boys she loved and trusted, into one entirely new amazing human being. Into a boy she now wanted to love her back more than she had ever wanted anything in her life, a boy whose happiness she wanted to make her top priority, her main goal in life.

Her stunned silence might have stretched a little too long, because Adrien suddenly reached behind him, scratching the back of his neck out of nervosity, he looked away and whispered softly, "I'm sorry… I just thought…"

She interrupted him by placing a single finger on his lips, startling him into looking back at her. Her bluebell eyes were full of tears as she gently shook her head, a sad smile dancing on her lips. "I'm so sorry, Adrien. I'm so, so sorry."

He flinched away from her, pain evidently painted on his beautiful face. Lunging forward, Marinette grabbed both of his hands into hers before he could scoot away further, and pressed herself whole against his chest. "I'm so sorry because I've been pushing you away all of this time even though I was already in love with you. I'm sorry for hurting you despite sharing your feelings all along."

Puzzled, Adrien's gaze snapped back to her, "W-What do you mean, Mari? You're not making any sense now. You never pushed me away. I… I realized that I had feelings for you only tonight, so…"

Marinette looked down at their intertwined fingers in her lap, willing her nervosity away. This was her partner, her best friend. She wouldn't allow awkwardness in their relationship, she just couldn't. It didn't matter that her kitty turned out to be the love of her life, he was still her silly minou, and he had every right to know she loved him back after all this wasted time. "Adrien, there's… there's someone I'd like you to meet. Would you like to say hi, Tikki?"

The word left her perfect lips and a red blob flew into view, a small creature with big and kind blue eyes, a single black spot on the top of its head, and cute little antennas.

A _kwami_.

 _Ladybug_ 's kwami.

His heart thumping so hard in his chest he thought it was going to burst out of his ribcage at any given time, Adrien looked from the little kwami, that was smiling broadly at him, to Marinette, who was obviously waiting for a reaction. He could tell she was nervous, terrified even, as she kept nibbling at her lower lip, her beautiful blue eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears.

Both girls began to overlap into his mind, and it made so much sense that Adrien couldn't fathom how on earth he had been dense enough to be unable to piece it together on his own. Sure enough, the eyes he had fallen in love with were a dead giveaway, as well as the cute black pigtails with a bluish hue. The same fire in their veins when they wanted something, the same sheer hatred of lies, the same unwavering determination to right things for people that had been wronged. The same endless kindness.

As he was placing the pieces of the puzzle into place, Plagg flew out of his pocket and collided mid-flight with the little red kwami, "TIKKI! I missed you so much!"

Tikki, as it seemed Ladybug's kwami was named, giggled softly before grabbing the destruction's kwami into a bear hug. "Come Plagg, there's a plate of cookies downstairs. Let's give our kids privacy to talk things out."

"Eww, cookies. Do you happen to have any cheese, Marinette?"

Sighing, Adrien reached into his other pocket, tossing his annoying kwami a few stray pieces of camembert without breaking eye contact with his partner. His partner. His lady, his princess.

Two wonderful women wrapped in one marvelous package, one incredible girl that had just successfully swept Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir off their feet all at once.

"Are you disappointed it's me?" she asked in a soft whisper, one he wouldn't ever have heard hadn't she been pressed against him like she was. Her question was so irrelevant, so ridiculous, that Adrien did the only thing he could think of to stifle her doubts.

The second his lips touched hers, he felt electrified. The softness of her lips against his slightly chapped own, the feeling of her hands balling up his overshirt in his back as she clung to him for support, the warmth of her skin under his fingers as he pulled on her waist to bring her even closer to him, her warm and sugary scent all at once overwhelming his senses in an addictive cocktail. Adrien was high drunk on her kisses, on her touch, and he never wanted to sober up.

They eventually had to pull apart for oxygen, and the young man noticed with unconcealed delight Marinette's faint blush on her porcelain skin, her half-lidded eyes as she tried to recover from their kiss, her slightly swollen lips. She was smiling, a wide grin that he was well aware of reflecting perfectly. Adrien had yet to loosen his grip on her, and he placed a tender kiss upon her forehead. Marinette sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist, and rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"It's getting late," she stated, matter-of-factly. The blond looked at how high the moon was in the sky, and nodded against her head. "I should go, you're probably exhausted. Can… can I come over tomorrow? As myself?"

He really tried to avoid sounding desperate, but he really wanted to see her again. He wanted to spend every waking minute of every day in her company, and he definitely wanted to kiss her again. And again. And again.

"I'll be waiting for you, mon minou."

Their second kiss was tamer, slower, less hungry than their first. It was beautiful and heartwarming nonetheless, and it left them both with goofy grins and mad heartbeats. Adrien reluctantly transformed back, and with a last chaste peck on the lips for his princess, he propelled himself into the night with his baton, resisting the urge to go back to his newfound catnip and never letting her go.

That night, before finally falling asleep way too late, Adrien smiled as he recalled her parting words.

 _"All I wanted for Christmas was you, Adrien."_

* * *

As she laid her head on her pillow, her skin still electrified with his touch and her heart still bursting from happiness, Marinette mused on the words Chat Noir had whispered into her ear before taking off.

 _"I never could've asked for a better gift than you, princess."_

* * *

The next week, as school resumed after the Christmas break, everything was just the same.

As usual, Nino and Alya were among the first on the college grounds, watching the weekend's Ladyblog new footage and arguing about whether or not Ladybug and Chat Noir were an item. Of course, Alya had a new argument for her now, seeing as that little peck on the nose was definitely more than friendly, and as for how they had left the fighting scene together instead of going their separate ways, like usual.

As usual, Chloe and Sabrina were busy judging everyone else by themselves. Well, Chloe was busy judging as Sabrina was nodding eagerly, typing something away on her phone. Nobody paid much attention to them by then.

As usual, Kim and Alix were challenging each other at some other stupid bet as they were waiting for the ring to bell, cheered on by Max offering statistics about the possible outcomes of the current bet.

As usual, Ivan and Mylene were standing away from their classmates, hugging and talking quietly among themselves, wrapped in their own private world that belonged to nobody else.

As usual, Nathanael was seated all by himself on the college's step, doodling into his sketchpad, while Rose was dizzying Juleka nearby with her incessant chatter about the current whereabouts of Prince Ali.

As usual, a silver luxury car pulled in front of the college just as Marinette finally arrived at school, out of breath for having run from the bakery.

As usual, Adrien exited the car, thanking his bodyguard and wishing him a good day. As usual, the blond fist-bumped Nino as he went up the steps and waved to Alya with a smile.

Unlike the usual, though, Adrien stopped beside Marinette on the school steps and pulled her close to him into an intimate embrace that couldn't be pegged as friendly. Unlike usual, he placed a quick but firm kiss upon the young lady's lips, a huge smile painted on both of their lips.

Françoise-Dupont's student collectively held their breaths as they witnessed the improbable.

Adrien Agreste had just kissed Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and instead of spontaneously combusting on the spot, the young woman was just smiling, leaning into his embrace. When they broke apart, Adrien sighed loudly, "I've missed you."

Marinette just laughed, confusing their classmates even further than they already were. "We were together not even ten hours ago, you're just being clingy now."

Pouting, Adrien intertwined their fingers together as he led her up the stairs, oblivious to their friends staring. "Sorry for enjoying being with you."

Nudging him playfully, Marinette answered with a coy smile, "It's okay love, I've missed you too."

And then they crossed Françoise-Dupont college's doors hand in hand, falling out of sight and earshot of their very shocked and very curious friends.

Nino was the first to break the heavy silence that had fell upon the courtyard, "What the hell was that?"

An equally shocked Alya nodded before adding, her voice full of wonders, "What the heck happened over Christmas' break?"


	2. Chapter 2: Little Things

_If Ladybug had to be perfectly honest, it had been the little things that gave him away._

 _Epiphanies Flash Exchange for Imploder_

 _Originally posted in January 2017_

* * *

If Ladybug had to be perfectly honest, it had been the little things that gave him away.

* * *

The day he had brought a Thermos of fuming broth and a thick jacket for her to wear through their patrol literally the day after she had been unlucky enough to sneeze in front of him during their nightly meeting. "Wouldn't want Paris's heroine to catch a cold, now, wouldn't we?"

She had eagerly accepted his gifts, genuinely grateful for just how much her partner was thoughtful.

* * *

The day he had shown up a few minutes late, a smug look on his face, carefully balancing two cups of coffee in his hands as he ran on Paris's rooftops. "What's this for, kitty?"

He had grinned at her, pushing hers into her hands. "You seemed tired yesterday evening, and seeing the time of the year, I have absolutely no doubts that you have a lot of studying to do once we get back. A lot of sugar and no milk?"

Stunned beyond words that the leather-clad boy had been paying enough attention to remember how she liked her coffee - something she might have mentioned to him only once - the spotted heroine barely had managed to nod in agreement.

* * *

The day her silly kitty had hugged his injured partner tightly after a rather nasty fight with an akuma where she had taken a couple of bad blows that had left her bruised for many days after, whispering in her ear about how much she had scared at least seven lives out of him when she had fallen. He had been truly shaken that day and had needed a few minutes to compose himself before being able to find a safe spot to detransform. Marinette had felt his scent lingering on her skin for the remaining of the day, and that had put a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart, effectively distracting her from doing anything productive.

* * *

The day she had shown up for patrol after a really tiresome week, only to be met with an uncharacteristically out of breath black cat. "Are you okay Chat?"

He had nodded eagerly, a wide grin spread on his lips. "Just peachy, my lady! Patrol's all done with, so you have the whole evening free!"

Ladybug had frowned in disbelief, almost choking on her saliva. "Wait, what? You did the patrol all by yourself? But why?"

He had smiled again. "You've been complaining all week about the insane amount of homework you've gotten lately. Figured you could use a little free time."

They had ended up chatting all night that evening, cuddled against one another at the top of the Eiffel Tower. But that was the thought that counted, right?

* * *

The day the black feline had been already waiting for her when she had shown up a few minutes early, looking anxious and restless. He had pulled a small box from behind his back and shoved it without ceremony into her unsuspecting hands. When questioning blue had met bashful green, he had nervously looked away, fidgeting with the bell on his collar just like he didn't have a clue about what to do with his hands. "It's a little something for… I mean, it's been a year since… What I'm trying to say is that… Oh God, I'm so lame at this, I'm sorry."

Ladybug truly hadn't meant to say this. But whereas her brain had intended to ask, "Are you okay?" her lips had bluntly disobeyed and instead blurted out. "Do you love me?"

Chat Noir had suddenly stilled in front of her, not even blinking an eye. Slowly, he had nodded, not able to tear his eyes away from hers. "Well, his voice croaked, I mean, we're partners and-"

"No, the spotted heroine had cut him, deciding that she might as well roll with her slip of the tongue, that's not what I meant. Chat, are you in love with me?"

Again, he had nodded, visibly gulping painfully. She could tell he was bracing himself for rejection and decided to put him out of his misery right then and there. "Good," was the only word that crossed her lips before she pressed them firmly against his, his gift hastily discarded on the roof as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. It took him a few seconds to react, visibly taken aback by her unexpected answer to his unwilling confession, but when he did, he kissed her back fiercely as he carefully put his arms around her waist, holding her tight.

There had been a lot of kisses, of cuddles and heartfelt confessions on the rooftops that night. He had remembered his package a while after and had been beyond elated to see his lady's eyes glistening with tears of happiness when she had unwrapped the little charms.

A black cat and a ladybug, to commemorate the year they had been spending fighting together.

* * *

Truth be told, now that the years had passed, when Marinette looked at the little jewels securely tied to her charm bracelet, she remembered quite another anniversary than the one her husband had originally intended to highlight.

Their first kiss. Their first "I love you." The first time she had truly understood that the boy she learned much later was Adrien Agreste really loved her, heart, body and soul. The day she had finally seen that her Chat Noir wasn't only a flirt, that he was truly head over heels for his red-clad partner.

Years after, he still did various little things for her every now and then. Fixing her coffee before she got out of bed. Coming home with a flower for no reason. Texting her that he loved her out of the blue. Always kissing her goodnight, no matter at what time he came back home. Making her laugh when she was feeling blue. Leaving her Post-its with cute messages at random places in their apartment for her to find and put a smile on her lips.

It had been the little things that had brought them together.

And that made her fall in love over and over again with him.


	3. Chapter 3: One Door Closes, One Opens

_While spring cleaning Alya and Nino's apartment, Adrien and Marinette end up in a tight spot._  
 _Hopefully, when a door closes, another one opens._

 _Spring Exchange for Yestomiraculous_

 _Originally posted in March 2017_

* * *

How they had gotten roped into helping Alya and Nino clean up their apartment was beyond Marinette. _"Spring cleaning is a good workout!"_ Alya had said. _"Bonding time with Adrien, think about it!"_ had added her treacherous boyfriend. " _Plus, Mari'll be done with her student room in about fifteen minutes! And you have a freaking maid, man. We have four whole rooms to clean all by ourselves! We can't do it without you guys!"_ they had said to Adrien, tricking him too.

And now, there they were. Standing in the middle of their living room, clad in hot pink yoga pants and a black tank top, Marinette was trying to assess the damage while Adrien was trying to unstick a window that obviously hadn't been opened for way too long. The blond sighed in relief as he finally managed to get a bit of fresh air into the small apartment. Grabbing a few rags and a bucket of soapy water, the young man rolled his shoulders, stretching his muscles under the thin fabric of his shirt. " _Bad Mari, stop thinking about those muscles getting ready to work, about his skin about to get all sweaty, about-"_

"-can't believe they ditched us to do _their_ cleaning. Hey, are you even listening to me, Mari?"

Snapping out of her ill-timed daydreams, the young designer flushed bright red. "I am, sorry. Well, at least they're supposed to come back with pizza, so all is not lost. Wanna get a head start? The sooner we get started the sooner it's gonna be over with."

"How do you wanna do this? Can't believe those two managed to dirty this place this much in only a few months." Adrien shook his head, pushing a pile of dirty clothes with the tip of his shoe, disgust evident on his face.

"I'll start by emptying the closet, so we can actually put things away in it. Do you think you can handle the windows? A little natural light would be nice if we are going to spend all day here."

Adrien smiled. He loved that side of Marinette, when she took charge of things. As class president, he had seen her accomplish great things in the past, and the years had done her good. About to finish her final year of university, she promised to be a brilliant designer and an exceptional leader. Even if her former shyness reared its ugly head from time to time around him, their friendship had blossomed over the course of the last few years and she had definitely become one of his favourite person in the world. His fondness for his beautiful friend easily rivalled the place he reserved for his lady in his heart. "Of course, Mari. I don't think they ever cleaned their windows," he said, his finger drawing a smiley face in the window dirt.

She mock shivered at the gross idea as she drew a cat face grinning next to his impromptu art, prompting him to burst out laughing heartily. Him grabbing a rag and her opening warily the closet door, they both got to work, bantering and chatting happily, catching up with each other's life. As of lately, they both had been caught up in studying and preparing for their finals, and they had spent almost all their free time chasing akumas - not that the other knew that.

Once she was done clearing the floor of the closet, Marinette took a step back, shaking her head as she eyed the impressive mountain of various supplies that she had piled against the wall beside the door. There was a lot of junk that would later find their way to the dumpster, but for the time being, she wanted to take a closer look at the shelves - which she couldn't do in the semi-darkness the ambient light granted the inside of the closet.

"Adrien, could you turn on the light, please? I can't reach it," Marinette asked in a breathless voice when it became clear that no matter how much she stretched her arm, she would never manage to grab the little chain dangling from the single lightbulb on the ceiling of Nino and Alya's living room closet.

With a small chuckle, Adrien's slender body appeared on the threshold of the closet. "Sure thing, Mari. Watch out."

In retrospect, the logical thing to do would have been to step out of the closet to give him space to open the light. But even several years into their friendship, Marinette's logic still tended to jump out the window where Adrien was concerned. So the young woman pressed herself against the back of the small space, allowing the blond to reach for the little chain.

That's when the door slammed shut behind him.

Startled, Marinette let out a loud yelp, prompting her companion of misfortune to burst out laughing. "It's okay, Mari, just let me find the handle and I'll set us free."

"O-okay," breathed the young woman, her heart thumping so loudly in her chest that she was worried Adrien would hear it. Being trapped in a restrained space with the man she had been hopelessly in love with for the past few years just couldn't end well considering her legendary clumsiness and the way her brain seemed to stop working altogether whenever Adrien was in a ten-foot radius from her.

"Uh-oh." The single word that left the young man's lips made her stomach clench. She felt him tense beside her and became painfully conscious of his proximity.

Gulping, Marinette pressed herself further against the wall, desperately trying to get some distance between herself and the object of her affections. "Please tell me we aren't stuck."

"Fine, I won't tell you."

The fact that they were still inside the closet and that the young man wasn't moving to remedy the situation quickly rubbed her the wrong way. Scoffing, she gave a light push on his shoulder, trying to forget that there wasn't even an inch separating their skins. "Open the door then."

"Can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Just turn the goddamn handle, Adrien," said a dumbfounded Marinette.

"There's no handle on this side of the door," came the disheartening answer.

If she had had enough space, Marinette would've thrown her arms in the air to emphasis her distress. As things currently were, though, she had to settle on "You've got to be kidding me!"

She felt him shift beside her, his chest pressed against hers. "Seems like the bulb's burnt out also. I'm sorry, Mari. Are you okay? Do you need me to-"

Whatever Adrien was going to say was cut short by a shadow phasing through the closet's door, its shining green eyes the only thing visible in the ambient darkness. "Adrien, I'm hungry. Stop cuddling Tikki's charge and get me some cheese, pronto."

If it was humanly possible, Marinette felt Adrien tense even more beside her. He obviously tried to raise a hand to scratch the back of his neck, as he always did when he was uneasy, but the lack of space to move resulted into him unwillingly grabbing her waist. "Oh gosh, sorry, Mari, I forgot to mention I brought my cat along."

"Your cat," muttered Marinette, her eyes fixed on the little black blob, its brilliant eyes being the only source of light in the small enclosed space.

Adrien nervously chuckled, "Yes, my cat. It's a very rare species, they originate from Africa, where parrots teach them to speak."

"And phase through solid matters."

"And phase through - _WAIT._ Who's _Tikki_?" suddenly croaked Adrien, his eyes searching for Marinette's despite the darkness surrounding them.

She remained desperately silent, still as a statue before him. If they hadn't been standing so close to each other, the young man would've wondered if she was breathing at all. Once the silence had stretched uncomfortably, he raised a hand tentatively, hopefully cupping her cheek tenderly. "Mari? Who's Tikki?"

Blissfully, his hand landed on its intended goal, and he felt her tense under his touch. Her answer was barely even a whisper, but he was so focused on her that he caught it all.

"My kwami."

Both their worlds came to a stop. Those words on her lips, this understanding in his silence, both were conveying an entire unspoken story, a whole new world of understanding between them.

Adrien's hand on her cheek felt burning hot, but she braced herself for the unfamiliar contact and refused to shy away from his touch. After all, apparently the body pressed against hers was her partner's, and the man she had relentlessly rejected time and time again over the last few years for the very same one she was hopelessly in love with.

"My lady?" The question was shy, barely above a whisper, but Marinette still somehow relaxed into his touch.

"Kitty."

An acknowledgement. A recognition.

Stunned, Adrien barely managed to whisper, "You were right in front of me all of this time."

Apparently, Marinette's logic still had to return from that earlier stroll, because right then, she did the unthinkable: she yanked on the blond's shirt collar, hard, and smashed her lips against his. He melted under her touch almost instantly, his arms circling her waist and pulling her even closer to him while she was desperately clinging to his shirt, kissing him as passionately as she could.

Years of longing on both parts, years of constantly dodging each without even realizing it came crushing down on them both at the same time, and as a result their embrace was hungry, frantic, a desperate attempt to make up for lost time.

They pulled apart only to breathe, resting their foreheads against each other's, both of them grinning from ear to ear as he held her in his arms.

"Sorry," Marinette quietly giggled, still a little breathless from the kiss.

"It's more than al-"

Adrien was cut short by the closet's door suddenly swinging open, a smirking Alya standing on the threshold. "Well, what do we have here? If you wanted some alone time, lovebirds, you should have said so."

Definitely, Marinette's logic was still on the run.

The shock of Adrien's abrupt reveal still fresh (speaking of, where had his kwami disappeared to?), combined with what had just transpired between the pair had set her nerves on edge. So it's naturally that she tore herself away from her partner's arms, blurting out unintelligibly, "Gosh, I forgot I had an essay on the role of thread in contemporary fashion industry due tonight, gotta go! Bye!"

The last words were merely a blur, seeing as she was already out the front door, running as fast as if her pants had been on fire. Standing still for a split second, Adrien's mind kicked in second gear. Marinette was gone. And he wanted to be with her. So he croaked out inelegantly, "I promised to help her with that essay! Modeling experience and all that!"

A second later he was gone too, leaving bemused Alya and Nino in his trail.

"Wait, the role of thread in fashion industry?" snorted the redhead, shaking her head disbelievingly.

"You know," answered her boyfriend with a smirk of his own, "when we agreed to leave them on their own for a bit, I never thought we would find them making out in the living room closet."

* * *

Hours later, confessions were properly made, explanations were given (after realizing what he'd inadvertently given away by following his stomach rather than his head, Tikki had to coax Plagg out his hiding place to apologize, then kept him away from the cooing new couple), laughs and tears were exchanged along with a lot more of kisses.

Hours later, Adrien and Marinette were lying intertwined on her small bed, watching some comedy show on Netflix, absentmindedly munching on some leftover pizza from the delivery they had gotten earlier. The blond kept lovingly stroking her hair, whispering sweet nothings into her ear and peppering light kisses on her shoulders and hair. He couldn't for the life of him tell what the show was about, and couldn't care less. He was perfectly happy as it was, cuddling with both the woman he had spent the last few years loving like a mad man and the friend he cherished above all the others.

Hours later, Marinette sighed contentedly, resting her head against Adrien's chest, allowing herself to close her eyes and revel in the moment. Finding out her very best friend in the world and the man she loved were the same person had been unnerving, yet exhilarating at the same time. They almost had immediately fell into a comfortable rhythm with each other, their relationships with and without the masks overlapping into a brand new but oddly familiar one. And at this precise second, as she felt him wrap his arms around her and held her against his chest, all she could feel was her own heart burst with love for the silly and kind blond beside her.

Hours later, once their pizza was long gone along with many episodes of some shady police drama on Netflix, Alya stretched herself on their couch, playfully nudging a half-asleep Nino. "Hey, do you think Adrien and Mari are okay?"

Yawning, the young DJ shrugged, "Why wouldn't they? They looked pretty cozy in the closet if you ask me."

Another yawn, followed by a loud groan and a desperate realization on Nino's part, "They ditched the cleaning!"


	4. Chapter 4: I Almost Lost You

After a nasty akuma fight, Ladybug realizes she could have lost her partner.

Tumblr Drabble for MidnightStarlightWrites

Originally posted in March 2017

* * *

Ever since they had accidentally revealed their identities to each other in the midst of a particularly nasty akuma fight, Marinette and Adrien's relationship had changed a lot.

And that was an epic understatement.

From that specific day forward, their classmates had been beyond amazed to notice how the young designer was out of nowhere no more struggling with her words when she was talking to her famous blond crush. Both of them went from 0 to 100 overnight somehow, and it was now a common sight for the pair to be bantering quietly among themselves, for Adrien to carry Marinette's bag through the school's courtyard, for Marinette to call him out mercilessly on his lame and apparently never-ending puns. With no one being the wisest as to how exactly this came to be, the pair had shifted seamlessly from being barely mere acquaintances to being the very best friends in the world, and as time passed their classmates stopped paying attention to them altogether.

Even Alya and Nino eventually came to terms with the fact that Marinette now meant Marinette and Adrien, and that wherever the blond model was, their pigtailed friend could be expected to be found not too far away.

In about the same time span, Ladybug and Chat Noir had grown considerably closer to each other, sparking anew the dating rumours about the superheroic pair. No amount of denying could convince their fans otherwise, and it was generally assumed that they were Paris's new power couple. True, the blushing fest happening on both their faces whenever the topic was brushed did nothing to help them.

Adrien prided himself into knowing even the littlest things about his partner, and even Ladybug had had to admit that the new level their relationship had reached was showing (positively) in battle. He and Marinette had spent the past few weeks talking, joking, and getting to know each other more than they ever had. They were more in sync than ever, words were becoming less and less necessary between them as they fought, and akumas were dealt with quicker and quicker, with less and less damages. He was able without any struggle to predict her next move, and act accordingly.

The last akuma attack hadn't been any different. Chat Noir had seen his lady run toward the akuma, a crazed one that ran around with a flamethrower. He had known right this instant that she would get caught in the crossfire, and leaped to push her out of the way. He felt the flames licking his magic suit, but didn't think twice about it. She was safe, that was all that mattered.

As expected, Ladybug tumbled out the way, managed to snatch the akumatized item, swiftly breaking it and purifying the butterfly. As he was expecting, as soon as she released her cleansing spell, Chat Noir began breathing more easily, the stinging feeling of the burn on his exposed skin subsiding.

Was what unexpected, though, was Ladybug's reaction.

No, he got no warning about how the girl would latch herself around his neck, shivering uncontrollably against his shoulder blade, clutching to him like a lifeline.

And he definitely got no warning about how soft her lips would feel despite how hard she crashed them on his. His brain froze, and it took him a few seconds to fully register what was happening. Out of their own accord, his arms wrapped themselves around her and he held her close to his chest, answering her kiss eagerly. He faintly registered cameras going off around them and bystanders' exclamations, but he ignored them. He was too painfully conscious of the woman in his arms - his partner, his best friend, Marinette - to let anything else distract him.

She broke the kiss all too soon, resting her head against his shoulder, eyes still closed. "I almost lost you."

It then dawned all at once on Chat Noir. Countless times before he had taken the blow for her, still dead set on it being his job. He couldn't bear seeing her hurt in any way, but it never occurred to him that it could be the same for her. And with their identities known, and the new direction their relationship had recently begun to take…

"I love you." It was barely whispered, words falling from his lips for her ears only. But as she raised glistening blue eyes toward him, he could read her answer in them as clearly as if she had painted it in bold letters.

So, ignoring the world losing their mind around them, ignoring the fact that they would probably be all over the evening news, Chat Noir softly held her chin up with a gloved finger and kissed her again.


	5. Chapter 5: Full Disclosure

_Marinette is left with a hard decision to make: protect the secret she had been keeping for a decade, and watch the man she loves getting_ hurt, _or give it all up to save him?_

 _Guess Who? Challenge_

 _Originally posted in March 2017_

* * *

" ** _CHATON!_** "

Marinette truly hadn't meant to scream. The word had slipped out of her lips of its own accord, ripped from her throat in a strangled cry that reverberated in the street. And she regretted it as soon as her own panicked voice registered in her mind.

Granted, seeing your long-term boyfriend tossed against the side of a building like a rag doll and falling to the ground in an unmoving mess of limbs _could_ be a little unnerving. Granted, the panic she felt pouring into her gut was perfectly justified as the riotous akuma crept closer to the black and blond mass, swinging his gigantic halberd menacingly in his direction.

Marinette's heart jumped painfully in her throat, and she darted into a sprint toward the akuma of the day, only to have her momentum broken by Alya grabbing her wrist forcibly, eyeing her in disbelief, "Where the hell are you going?"

Ah.

Right.

She wasn't suited up.

A desperate glance at her partner still lying motionless on the ground shattered what was left of her heart, and of her resistance. The akuma had almost reached him, and was cackling madly, licking his lips with a delighted grin.

"Let me go, Alya," she begged, her voice shaking. Every lost second could be fatal to Chat Noir, to _Adrien,_ and she was aching to get to his side, to protect him from further harm.

The redhead shook her head, taking in the unknown emotion spread on her friend's face carefully. Since when Marinette was on _nickname terms_ with Chat Noir? And _why_ did she look utterly terrified, yet wanted to run _to_ the danger? "We have to run, Mari, even I know that. Chat Noir took that blow to protect us, that akuma is really dangerous. Ladybug has yet to show-"

The new villain lifted his weapon above the fallen hero, and something _snapped_ within Marinette. Their secret be damned, she couldn't for the life of her stand staying on the bleachers while her partner, her best friend, the _love of her life_ got massacred. The street was mostly empty anyway, except for the four of them and the berserking akuma who wasn't paying any attention to them. Explanations could wait, Adrien's safety couldn't. "Tikki, spots on!"

The familiar pink light engulfed her instantly, and Alya backed off with a loud yelp, startled. In lieu of her stubborn best friend now was Ladybug, Paris's beloved superheroine, already rushing to aid her partner. Dumbfounded, the redhead watched as the spotted girl loudly called the akuma, deflecting his attention from Chat Noir, who was now cautiously trying, and failing, to rise back to his feet.

Her boyfriend stiffened beside the reporter, jaw slacked. "Did… Did Mari just…"

 _Marinette._

 _Marinette_ was the girl clad in a polka-dotted jumpsuit, swinging herself over the street, tying her yoyo around the villain's weapon without hesitation and yanking on it fiercely, swerving its intended trajectory.

 _Marinette_ was the girl slipping between the akuma's legs, putting herself in danger deliberately to give her partner a life-saving exit. She was the one confidently swinging herself on the giant shoulders, yanking the leather helmet from his head and tearing it in half. _Her best friend_ was curing the purple butterfly like she had done countless times before, restoring their beloved city to the state it was in _before_ the wronged Dungeon and Dragons player had gone on a rampage to claim justice for an unfair roll of dice.

 _Marinette_ was the girl landing gracefully beside a stunned Chat Noir, still sitting on the ground and rubbing his head with a pained grimace.

 _Marinette_ was the superheroine pulling her partner into a forceful hug, spilling tears of relief on his leather suit, _Marinette_ was pulling apart from him for a split second only to crash her lips on-

 ** _WAIT._**

Marinette, or Ladybug for that matter, was now passionately kissing Chat Noir, clinging to him as if she was afraid he would dissolve into her arms.

But-

What about Adrien? Her beloved boyfriend of the last seven years?

"What the fuck?" acutely summarized Nino, equally shocked of the scene unfolding before them.

This seemed to snap Alya out of her stunned trance, and she broke into a sprint toward the heroes, Nino hot on her heels. Their footsteps alerted the still-embraced pair that broke apart with a start, looking up to them sheepishly.

Yanking her best friend up by the front of her suit, the mad redhead pulled her into a standing position, their noses almost touching, and snarled, " _WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? WHAT ABOUT ADRIEN? THE MAN YOU'VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH FOR A FUCKING DECADE?"_

To both Alya and Nino's surprise, Chat Noir chuckled loudly, getting up from the ground on shaky legs. "That long, Bugaboo?"

Rolling her eyes, Marinette/Ladybug growled under her breath, "Not here. My place, five minutes, let yourselves in."

With a loud beep coming from her earrings, Ladybug expertly grabbed her partner's hand and hooked her yoyo on a nearby rooftop. Before either Alya or Nino had time to react or say anything else, the superheroic duo had disappeared around the corner.

Their journey to the cozy apartment Marinette and Adrien shared was eerily silent. Alya knew that her boyfriend probably had come to the same unsettling conclusion she had, but she couldn't bring herself to voice it. Acknowledging out loud what had just happened would mean dealing with it, and she wasn't ready for it.

Not yet.

She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she had been talking _daily_ with _Ladybug_ for ten years, being none the wisest all along. She had slept in _Ladybug'_ s bed more times than she could count, had witnessed _Ladybug_ coming out of her shell through the years and becoming an amazing designer and a wonderful young woman. For God's sake, she had even played matchmaker for three long _years_ between _Ladybug_ and-

Nope. Still too soon.

Nino's hands were shaking as he pulled the key they had received from the seemingly happy and very much in love couple a while back, stressing that they were always welcomed in their little haven. He opened the door hesitantly, both their hearts pounding painfully in their chests.

Clearly, the superheroic duo either had made a stop somewhere along the way or taken the scenic route, because just as Alya and Nino entered the spacious apartment, Chat Noir slipped through the open window, gingerly cradling an untransformed Marinette in his arms. He deposited her carefully on the couch, placing a tender peck on her temple that looked out of place between the odd pair. The leather-clad hero then sat beside her, motioning shyly for their friends to join them.

"We were a little delayed, we had to find a safe spot for Mari to detransform." Chat Noir explained, his usual flamboyant demeanour somewhat subdued. Marinette's blue gaze was fixated on a spot on the floor, stubbornly refusing to meet her friends'.

As Alya and he complied, Nino loudly cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. In a last attempt to deny the now much too obvious truth, he supplied weakly, "Hmmmm, guys, does Adrien knows that there's a superhero on his couch, cuddling his girlfriend?"

Chat Noir chuckled lightly, "Somehow, I doubt Adrien would mind in any way." The hero snaked an arm around his partner's tensed shoulders, before saying with what he wished could be pinned as confidence, his signature smirk spread on his lips but not reaching his eyes, "Plagg, claws in."

A vivid green light suddenly enveloped the sheepish blond, blinding the unfortunate pair of onlookers, leaving a nervously smiling Adrien in its wake. "Hi, guys."

This felt like a punch in the gut to Nino. His best friend for the past decade was sitting in front of him, fresh out of his leather suit, his arm rested around Marinette's shoulders, looking every bit like a puppy waiting to be scolded.

Alya was the first to recover from the shock from having their doubts confirmed, the redhead tensing beside her boyfriend on the couch. "It's been you guys all along?"

Marinette smiled weakly, reluctantly tearing her gaze from the floor and daring to cross her best friend's hazel eyes, "For the past ten years. Yes. I'm sorry we couldn't tell you guys."

"Naturally, this has to stay between us. Nobody can know that you know our identities, this could endanger you guys greatly," Adrien chimed in, still looking uneasy and somewhat out of place in his own home.

"Are you mad with us?" tentatively asked his partner, voicing the worries that had been stifling both of them ever since Marinette had made the rushed decision to transform right in front of them earlier that day.

"Shocked, but not mad. I understand why you had to keep it secret." Nino supplied, while Alya was apparently kicking into her reporter mode.

"This… this is good, actually. I'll be able to supply false information to throw fans off your trail, and I'll be able to warn you directly whenever there's an akuma instead of posting on the blog hoping either of you would see it."

Marinette's eyes widened. She had fully been expecting a banshee screaming match, an all expenses-paid guilt trip or even full on fangirling. But her best friend was taking it in stride effortlessly, already making all sorts of plans to ease their job and make the most of it. Gratitude bubbled up in her chest, and tears of relief pricked her bluebell eyes.

A black blob came floating into view before she could say anything about it though, hovering in front of her boyfriend as it spoke in a high-pitched whiny voice, "Adrien, I'm hungry. Get me some cheese."

"You know where it is, Plagg, help yourself. We're kinda in the middle of something here."

"But-"

Alya had honestly thought that she was through with surprises that day. But a similar-looking red blob promptly exited Marinette's discarded purse and went directly to what was apparently called Plagg, grabbing him unceremoniously and bringing him back into the bag, "YOU. LET. THEM. TALK." a small voice snarled menacingly.

"What… What the hell was that?" Nino asked, visibly as dumbfounded as she was.

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a long glance, at the end of which the former simply nodded, a small smile dancing on his lips. "Our kwamis. They're the magic, they allow us to transform and kick akumas' asses."

"So what, you guys signed up on some shady website and got these… pets-"

"GODS! We're gods!" Plagg's whiny voice interrupted the young DJ's rambling from Marinette's purse.

"Gods. Yeah, obviously, gods. So you got those... gods in the mail or something?"

Adrien chuckled, his Chat Noir smirk tattooed on his face, while Marinette smiled fondly at the memories from ten years ago, "According to Tikki, the magic chose us. Something about completing each other, about being a perfect team. What I do know, though, was that one day, she just showed up in my room. Obviously, I freaked out-"

"Oh, did you, now?" cut Adrien, a smug look spread on his face. Marinette playfully nudged him in the ribs, laughing heartily.

"Oh, hush, you silly cat. Not everyone can be as sleek as you and put on superhero shoes without even batting an eye! You even had your Sailor Moon-style choreography all planned out beforehand!"

The former model pouted, the expression looking strangely out of place on a twenty-five-year-old face, "I was FIFTEEN."

"You still do it when you think I'm not looking," answered his girlfriend, kissing his temple tenderly. Affectionate gestures weren't uncommon where Adrien and Marinette were concerned, seeing as they have been dating and disgustingly in love for the better part of the last decade, but something about Ladybug stifling Chat Noir into silence with a single kiss was bewildering, to say the least.

Upon breaking their chaste kiss, Adrien smiled at his long-term girlfriend, "You're just jealous that I'm way cooler than you."

Their best friends had long known how deep the love between them ran. Adrien was entirely devoted to his girlfriend, worshipping the very ground she walked on. He would shower her with small, thoughtful gestures, never afraid to tell her how much he loved her no matter the time and place, his eyes never straying from her. In return, Marinette would lovingly take care of her blond model, patiently teaching him to cook, knitting, and whatever else he put his mind to try. She would prepare him lunches, taking a genuine interest in his life and his various nerdy passions. He was the center of her universe, and no matter how much some coworkers kept hitting on the beautiful woman, she never even acknowledged their existence. All the people that knew them agreed: they were so sweet together that watching them too long could give you cavities.

But with the masks and the secrets out of the way, their relationship was taking a whole new level, a brand new layer that changed everything. Over the course of the last ten years, both of them had taken many hits for the other, had sacrificed themselves time and time again to protect their significant other. They literally had risked their lives more times than they could count, for the sake of their partner.

It was utterly beautiful, and a little bit disconcerting at the same time.

Alya cleared her throat loudly, breaking the lingering fondness between Adrien and Marinette, and as soon as the latter noticed the look of sheer hurt on her friend's face, she knew what was coming, "So, all the stuttering, the way you couldn't string a single sentence straight to him for years, your skyrocketing nerves around him, was all that for show?"

"No," Marinette's voice was firm, certain.

Alya shook her head in disbelief. "Ladybug never was uncomfortable with Chat Noir, Mari. How could-"

"We didn't know."

Startled, both Alya and Nino looked up, eyeing their friends warily. "What do you mean, you didn't know?" the latter asked, dumbfounded.

"We kept our identities secret. I insisted on it for years, against Adrien- well, Chat Noir's- wishes. I sincerely believed that us knowing each other's civilian identity could put us in dire danger should Hawkmoth ever find out."

The reporter within the redhead kicked in, her mind reeling from her best friend's words. "When did you find out then? What changed?"

Adrien's kind and familiar green eyes landed on his girlfriend, his love for her again displayed in plain sight for the world to see. "I almost died."

Marinette took his hands into hers, her thumb absentmindedly stroking the side of his hand. "About seven years ago, Chat Noir had to fight the Surgeon on his own, all because I was too far from the ruckus to notice it. I didn't happen to check my phone at the time, and in the end, I missed the entire fight altogether. I finally joined him, all thanks to the Ladyblog, only once he had managed to get the akumatized item _and_ get himself hurt…" the designer's voice trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes.

Stunned, Alya breathed out, "I remember that fight. The Surgeon was tossing scalpels everywhere. There was a lot of blood that day."

"He managed to cut my jugular." Adrien nodded. "If Mari had shown up a single minute later, I might not be here anymore. She released her cleansing spell just in time. As soon as she was sure I was okay, though, she vanished, leaving me behind and confused. Later that night, when we met up for patrol, she released her transformation before me without warning and gave me her cellphone number, so I could properly call her should an akuma show up."

"He had the guts to laugh at me," Marinette sighed, toying with a black strand dangling from her messy bun, "but then _he_ grabbed my face and kissed me, without any form of warning either."

"So _THAT's_ why you guys went from barely talking to never leaving each other's side overnight back then?" Nino asked, obviously bewildered.

Blushing, Adrien kissed his lady's fingers. "Yes. Upon finding out that the two girls I was crushing really hard on were one and only amazing lady, I couldn't bear leaving her out of my sight for too long."

"Wait," suddenly interjected Alya, "something doesn't add up. If you are Ladybug, Mari, why were you _running_ with us earlier? Shouldn't you have been trying to ditch us to go help Chat Noir?"

Marinette visibly deflated as Adrien gave her a pointed look. Her voice was strained, hesitant, as she answered, "I wasn't supposed to transform."

"We agreed that it would be safer, princess," gently scolded the blond sitting beside her.

Before Alya could say anything, her best friend squealed painfully, "That akuma was trying to kill you, I couldn't stand there and watch the man I love getting massacred."

It was obvious that the young designer was very upset by that point, more than she should have been, and Alya suddenly wondered what was really brewing between the superheroic pair. Her musings were cut short by Adrien blurting out, grabbing Marinette's both hands into his, "What about the baby?"

"What _baby_?" The words had left Nino's lips before they had even registered in Alya's brain.

" _Adrien Agreste,_ " snarled Marinette between clenched teeth, "you've just ruined the surprise!"

"OH. MY. GOD. You're pregnant?" Alya was bouncing from excitation on her end of the couch, barely able to keep herself together as her best friend nodded shyly.

Rubbing his temples, Nino whispered in a subdued voice, "Are we done with surprises now? I don't think I could take another revelation today."

In retrospect, Marinette should've known that the shit-eating grin on her boyfriend's face wouldn't bode well. She should've stopped him, warn him that messing with their friends in the emotional state they were currently in wasn't in any way a good idea. But she was exhausted, emotionally drained by the way all their secrets had been exposed in such a short span of time, and her brain wasn't quick enough to catch on.

That was why when the blond purred, "I guess this wouldn't be the right time to tell you guys we eloped last year, then?," Marinette didn't have time to deny his statement before Alya pounced on him, gripping him by the collar of his shirt and shaking him like a coconut tree while Nino cheered her on a bit too eagerly.

Amidst the chaos that ensued, the young woman could only facepalm as her boyfriend kept repeating over and over again, "I was joking guys! Just joking!"

Part of Marinette was terrified about what those revelations meant for their friends, for themselves. What if being in on their secrets put them in danger, what if they got akumatized again and revealed their identities - or worse, her pregnancy - to Hawkmoth?

But the other part, the greater part, watched fondly as Nino and Adrien wrestled playfully on the living room floor, as Alya sat down beside her and embraced her tightly, waving timidly to Tikki and Plagg who had risked a paw out of her purse.

And she thought, as a wave of affection rushed over her, that maybe things would play out right for them all.


	6. Chapter 6: Guurl I Really Lovyyoouuu

_The last thing Marinette ever expected to find on her balcony was definitely a completely drunk Chat Noir trying to serenade her. Once she does, though, what is a nineteen-year-old supposed to do with a passed out superhero?_  
 _(as prompted by MidnightStarlightWrites)_

 _Originally posted in March 2017_

* * *

Over the last few years, Chat Noir had taken an obvious liking to visiting Marinette after acceptable hours.

That new and unforeseen habit of his led to a few close calls _(Yes, Chat, all girls shower naked. They usually don't expect to find a boy waiting in their room when they get out, though)_ and had ultimately forced Marinette to lay some ground rules. _(No, Kitty, you can't show up whenever you want. Let's agree that when the blinds are closed, it means I'm not in the mood for any company. No, it isn't up for negotiation.)_

Limitations set aside, Chat Noir never hid how much he enjoyed his time with the blue-eyed girl. Over the months, he had slowly let a more profound, more concealed part of himself show to her, and Marinette didn't know what to do with it. While she cared deeply for her partner, and found herself heartbroken more than once hearing how his civilian life seemed to be unsettlingly empty and lonely, she couldn't bring herself to overcome the barrier that still stood tall between them.

She tried her best to get around her guilt, though, being there for him as much as she could in and out of her superheroic costume. Ladybug attempted to brush him off less harshly, taking his feelings into account in their almost daily interactions. She made a point to thank him sincerely whenever he saved the day, and willingly let the occasional hugs linger a little more than socially acceptable, all for her dear kitty's sake. Marinette, on her part, was sure to always lend a listening ear to the seemingly lone and lost stray cat, bearing with this new obsession of his with visiting her beyond usual waking hours. Their discussions often stretched a bit too late for them to be pinned as reasonable, but Marinette couldn't find it in herself to care about such a simple thing. Chat Noir's happiness came first and foremost.

She, too, enjoyed their time together far more than she'd admit. He was constantly picking her up when she was feeling down, a good challenge at video games, and an incredible listener. He was always up for tutoring her in sciences, and even agreed to model a dress she had troubles adjusting on her dressmaker dummy. They had fallen in a comfortable routine over the months, Chat Noir showing up three to four times a week long after darkness, rattling softly on the skylight panel and waiting eagerly for his princess to let him in.

Hence why, on a late and cold Friday night, when Marinette heard a weird noise outside her skylight instead of the usual scratching, she only figured that a stray cat was annoyingly yowling on her balcony. Never in her life would she have expected to find a heavily wobbling Chat Noir, stumbling and fumbling with himself, purring a bit too loudly in a very off-key voice, " _Who gave you eyes like that?_ _  
_ _Said you could keep them?_ _  
_ _I don't know how to act"_

Pulling herself on her balcony, Marinette closed the distance between them to put a worried hand on the superhero's unsteady shoulder, "Kitty, are you okay?"

Oblivious to his surroundings, the blond wobbled on his feet as he pulled her to him, lacing an unsure arm around her waist, " _Or if I should be leaving_ _  
_ _I'm running out of time_ _  
_ _Going out of my mind_ _  
_ _I need to tell you something_ _  
_ _Yeah, I need to tell you something"_

Stunned beyond words, Marinette vainly tried to wiggle out of her partner's embrace, worry written all over her features, "Chaton, what's wrong? Why are you so … sluggish?"

Without picking up on her words, the blond superhero dramatically flipped his messy hair with the back of his hand, effectively derailing his balance and sending himself flailing right back into Marinette's arms. He nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck, his indolent voice whispering against her soft skin, _"I really really really really really really like you._ Wait, that won't do, I don't simply like you, Mari. _I really really really really really really_ love _you._ _  
_ _And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?_ _  
_ _I really really really really really really_ love _you_ _  
_ _And I want you. Do you want me? Do you want me too?"_

So. What is a nineteen-year-old to do with an obviously drunk leather-clad superhero? And one apparently set on declaring his undying love to her, no less? Patting him softly on the back, Marinette cooed tenderly in his ear, "How much did you have to drink, Chaton?"

Relaxing under her touch, the feline purred gingerly, "About a bottle and a half of wine, why?"

He all but collapsed in her arms, giggling, his body lining up with hers in a way she would never have been able to support hadn't she been part-time superheroine. Holding her faithful (and obviously drunk beyond words) partner close to her heart, Marinette began the tricky journey to her room. Getting down the skylight was a piece of cake given how malleable the superhero was, laying him down on her bed was another story. Pushing and pulling, she eventually managed to lay her less-than-cooperative friend on her comforter and breathed a sigh of relief.

At least he was safe now, and wouldn't end up falling down some roof.

"What am I going to do with you, silly minou?" the young woman mused out loud, shaking her head with a fond smile.

Somehow managing to jerk upright in his drunk haze, Chat Noir put a silencing finger on Marinette's unsuspecting lips, frowning at her with all his might. "Stop trying to corrupt me, Ladybug! You've had your chance and didn't take it. My heart belongs to my sweet little princess now, you'll have to deal with it!"

The young lady had to pause for a second, letting his words sink in. While she was busy pondering what he had just said, though, he raised a shaking gloved hand to cup her cheek. "There you are, Mari! Hey guurl, I really lovyyoouuu," he slurred in a sing-songy tune.

Marinette smiled at him affectionately, stroking his hair with an obvious tenderness in her gestures. "Chaton, you're completely smashed."

"Maybe." He frowned. "But that doesn't make my words any less true, Marinette. I love you, I love you so, so much."

At these words her heart skipped a beat in her chest, but she willed herself to remain level-headed nonetheless. "Let's talk about this in the morning, okay Chaton?"

With a somewhat surprising strength, Chat Noir pulled her into the bed like she was nothing but a kitty toy and curled up against her, once again acting like a real feline. "In the morning I'll be nothing but boring and plain Adrien Agreste and you'll want nothing more to do with me."

This time, Marinette's breath effectively hitched in her throat. She looked at the mop of blond hair under her chin, recalled the familiar green eyes in which she often found solace, and puzzle pieces suddenly found their rightful places inside her heart.

Could it really be…?

Internal screaming set aside, she could see it if she was to be honest with herself. Both blonds had an awful taste for puns, loved science and videogames. She couldn't recall ever seeing Adrien and Chat Noir in the same room, even when his mansion had been targeted by akumas. Both of them were selfless beyond words, incredibly kind and protective of the people they cared about.

And, she realized with a start, both of them made her heart lose its rhythm when she thought of them.

The young man managed sloppily to withdraw a little from the crook of her neck where he had nestled his head. "Princess… Can I kiss you?"

Marinette dutifully ignored the heat pooling in her chest and willed herself be the reasonable one. No matter how long she had dreamed of that moment, he was heavily intoxicated, and the remnants of alcohol on his breath weren't part of her fantasies. "You can kiss me all you want tomorrow, Adrien. Now sleep, you need it."

"SSSSSSSSSSSSH!" the superhero suddenly hissed, startling her, "Not that loud! Marinette's gonna figure out that I'm Adrien! She's so clever."

Repressing a giggle, Marinette settled on humming a lullaby, gently stroking her partner's back until she heard his breathing deepening, safely assuming that he had finally passed out. A loving smile on her lips, she whispered, "Tikki? Can you hear me?"

Her kwami flew into view, grinning widely, "That was quite a night, Marinette. Is he okay?"

"I think so. He might have a nasty headache tomorrow morning, though."

"Good thing you'll be there to take care of him then," Tikki answered with a mischievous smile.

Marinette simply nodded, her hand still drawing comforting circles on the leather-clad back. "Tikki? Can you communicate with his kwami?"

"Why?"

"I can't let him spend the night transformed. It's uncomfortable for him and unfair to his kwami," the young woman explained, her bluebell eyes never swerving from the peaceful face of the man sleeping in her arms.

A second later, a flash of green engulfed the feline hero, leaving a sound-asleep Adrien and an obviously pissed-off kwami in its wake. "I told him it was a bad idea!" whined the little black blob Marinette would learn later on was named Plagg, "But did the kid listen? No! They say don't drink and drive, why in the world would drink and jump on rooftops be a good idea?"

Truth be told, Marinette wasn't listening to him. Adrien must have been on his way to bed when he decided to down almost two entire bottles of wine, because he was wearing blue flannel pajama pants.

 _Only_ blue flannel pajama pants.

Her heart stilled for a second upon realizing that she was now cuddling rather tightly with a barefooted, sound asleep and _half-naked_ Adrien Agreste. His hair was still a little damp and smelled heavenly, hinting that he must have taken a shower not that long ago—a thought that did nothing to help the fiery blush spreading on her cheeks. The exposed skin under her fingers was smooth, toned, and his bare arms were tightly locked around her waist.

He looked so comfortable though, so peaceful sleeping curled up around her, that she couldn't bring herself to break their embrace. Pushing any awkwardness and inappropriate thoughts at the back of her mind, Marinette happily trusted Tikki to deal with her upset counterpart, closing her arms tighter around her beloved partner, and finally let herself drift into slumber.

* * *

The next morning, Marinette was woken up by a loud groan, instantly followed by her pillow noticeably stiffening under her head.

 _Wait._

"M… Marinette? How… Ouch…"

Stirring from her happy dreams, the young woman opened her eyes only to be met with familiar green ones. The events of the previous night came crashing back on her all at once, and she reacted in the only way her still slightly freaking out mind could handle.

She _laughed._

Which, obviously, only confused Adrien even further. He was now sitting on the pink comforter, rubbing his temples with a pained grimace, warily looking at his shy classmate. "How… How did I end up here? Did—oh God, tell me I haven't done anything reprehensible."

Through her giggles, the blue-eyed girl managed to answer, "You showed up on my balcony yesterday night and tried to serenade me with a Carly Rae Jepsen song."

"I did what? But how is it even possible? Unless…"

The puzzlement on Adrien's face was short-lived, as Plagg barrelled on him from nowhere, aggressively poking his charge's cheek with his tiny paw, "I said no gallivanting on rooftops when you're drunk! Why must you be so stubborn, kid?"

"Plagg! What are you—How? But—Aw man, everything hurts," whined a stunned and hungover Adrien, burying his head in his hands, shoulders slumped in shame.

Marinette gathered herself, and smiled at him reassuringly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What's the last thing you remember?"

The young man straightened his back again slowly, trying the recollect pieces of his previous evening. "I… I had a horrible day, my photo shoot went all wrong for reasons beyond my control and my father rescheduled it on your birthday. When I asked him to change the date, I… I couldn't supply a valid reason in his eyes, and we ended up fighting."

He gulped painfully, and Marinette could almost feel his throbbing headache just by looking at his glassy eyes.

"I took a shower to try and calm myself down, and when that failed, I decided to have a glass of wine to relax a bit. I don't know how much I ended up having, but given how much it hurts to think right now, I'm guessing a lot more than one glass," Adrien resumed sheepishly. "Please, tell me I haven't said or done anything to offend you, Mari. I couldn't—"

Taking mercy on her poor partner, Marinette smiled reassuringly. Considering how little he remembered from the previous evening, probabilities were that his declaration had been a spur of the moment thing. "Well, you did ask for a kiss, and tell me numerous times how much you love me, but don't worry, I know it was only the wine talking and—"

"What? No, no, no, no, don't you dare think that, Mari." Adrien fumbled hazily to kneel on her bed, grabbing her hands into his with a panicked expression. "I've been trying to work up the courage to confess to you for months. I'll always regret that you found out like this, but not what I said. Never."

A single barrier still stood between them, a single obstacle to a story they obviously both wanted.

Taking a leaf from Chat Noir's book, the young woman decided to throw all caution to the wind. They had started down a slippery road, and were about to hit the point of no return.

"What about Ladybug? All of Paris knows Chat Noir worships the ground she walks on," she said, nervously running her fingers through her loose black strands.

Adrien had a sad smile, clinging to her other hand like a lifeline. "It would be unfair to lie to you. She'll always have a special place in my heart, I've loved her for a long time. I trust her with my life, but you've become so much more important to me, Marinette. She knows nothing about me, about my life, and she doesn't want to. You let a stray cat in and cared for him, you've been an incredible friend to him, and you've never been anything less than awesome with me as Adrien. When I realized how much you meant to me, it was already way too late to back out. I fell in love with you, Marinette, with the beautiful, kind, selfless, creative and amazing girl that can kick my ass in any video game without batting an eye."

At some point during the blond's speech, something snapped within Marinette. Hearing those words about both sides of her, her heart thumped loudly in her chest and her logic jumped through the window. Lunging forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck and crashed her lips against his, desperately pressing her whole body against his. He stiffened at first, taken aback by her eagerness, but he was quick to melt under her assault, locking his arms around her lithe body, matching her intensity with his own. His breath still had hints of alcohol to it and his head was throbbing painfully, she was still clad in the previous day's clothes and her hair was messy and tangled.

But neither of them cared the slightest.

All that mattered to them was then and there.

Breaking off the kiss to breathe, Marinette rested her forehead against his and grinned, her heart still going off madly in her chest. "It's a good thing I'm Ladybug, then. I can't get jealous of myself, now, can I?"

Somehow, Adrien felt like he should have been surprised, shocked, or even feel betrayed by this unexpected revelation. Instead, his foggy mind did the only thing he could focus on at that second: he went back for another taste of his lady's lips, breathing softly against her skin, "Spots or not, I love you, Marinette." And he kissed her again, pouring all his affection for his beautiful friend into their embrace, marveling in the way the young lady seemed to melt in his arms, yielding her heart and soul to him without a second thought. The kiss quickly deepened as the pair descended into a passionate embrace, born from years of longing.

The trapdoor of Marinette's bedroom swung open, a sound the cooing pair was too enthralled into each other's proximity to notice. The footsteps on the floor and the creaks of ladder rungs also went unnoticed. "Time to get up, sleepyhead, we're going to be late to—OH MY GOD MARI WHY IS ADRIEN IN YOUR BED? AND WITH NO SHIRT ON?"

The simultaneous groan that escaped Marinette and Adrien's mouths at that precise second would have been hilarious in any other circumstances.

For now, they solely both braced themselves for Alya's incoming merciless inquisition.


	7. Chapter 7: Miraculous Messenger

_What would happen should Alya and Marinette take a liking into Mystic Messenger's app? Would Nino and Adrien end up doing something... ridiculous? ...Nah, they never would! (They totally do.)_

 _April's Fools - A Tiger's Bra Story_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

 ** _***Spoiler alert: this fic is loaded with spoilers about Mystic Messenger, notably but not limited to Yoosung and 707's route, as well as the secret endings. You've been duly warned!***_**

It was the first days of spring. The warm weather had coaxed Françoise-Dupont students out of their winter gear, and they were spending more and more time on the steps of the school savouring the fresh air instead of being piled up like sardines in the interior courtyard.

Over the last few years they had become quite accustomed with their classmates habits, and had fallen into a comfortable routine as a group. Nobody worried anymore about shy Nathanael always drawing on his own nor raised an eyebrow at Chloe's outraged outbursts.

Couples had formed and unravelled through the years. Mylène and Ivan were still a thing, along with Alya and Nino. Sabrina had briefly dated Max before they decided they wanted to focus on their studies, and Alix and Kim shared an explosive relationship that ended up in flames and resulted in the pair stopping talking to each other altogether. Even Marinette had agreed to go on a few "friendly" dates with Nathanael, but unwillingly had to break the poor boy's heart when it became clear they both expected different things out of that relationship.

Because, of course, Marinette was still pining hopelessly after Adrien, who was still desperately oblivious to her affections. And it was still as painful to watch from afar than it had been on their first year.

So it came as a surprise for everyone when Marinette arrived to school early that morning, out of breath, and clutching her phone to her heart. " ** _ALYA! Yoosung finally said IT!"_**

Jumping excitedly on the school steps, the redhead rushed to her blue-eyed friend, squealing loudly with her: "He _did_? Already? What did he say?"

"He said that he _LOVED_ me! Can you believe it! _I want to tell you every single second that I love you._ His exact words!"

"Way to go, girl! You'll finally get that happy ending of yours you were striving for!" said Alya, grinning. "I had an interesting phone call myself with _you-know-who_ this morning, and I wasn't even wearing my lucky tiger-striped bra!"

Marinette squealed inelegantly hearing those words. "Really? Which phone call did you get?"

"The " _Why are you so cute?"_ one. Got my heart racing madly. I _love_ Seven so much, he's such an intense man," Alya answered, visibly swooning.

Her blue-eyed friend frowned, crossing her arms in front of her. "Yoosung lost one of his eyes out of love for me. Can't beat that."

Alya scoffed. "Saeyoung got _shot_ on my behalf. And told me that " _What's important is the present, and the future we'll create together."_ He's definitely the most romantic one."

Adrien watched, in utter awe, as Marinette puffed her cheeks and popped her hip sideways, arms still crossed, eyebrows raised. "I'm sorry, miss " _I'm in love with a bad boy"_ but Yoosung told me, " _I can finally be the knight who protect his loved one."_ yesterday. Nothing can beat that, according to me. And _"I wish I could just run to you and hug you"_ not long after. He's the sweetest, without a single doubt."

Both girls walked in front of a bemused Adrien and a confused Nino, never even acknowledging their presence, carrying their argument inside the school. Left in their wake, the blond model stuttered to his best friend, "You realize your girlfriend just stated that she's in love with another man?"

Stunned beyond words, the bespectacled man huffed helplessly, "And you realize _your_ girlfriend just got stolen away by some half-blind dude?"

"Marinette _is not_ my girlfriend!"

"Tell that to your wandering eyes, lover boy," answered Nino with a playful nudge in the ribs.

Taking pity on the upset boys, Rose chimed in, grinning from ear to ear, "Guys, they're gushing about fictional characters. They're playing some mobile otome game, _Mystic Messenger._ Don't worry, as far as I know, you're both safe."

What sweet Rose Lavillant hadn't been expecting, though, was the sheer resolve pouring in both boys' stares.

* * *

The day after, Marinette came into school once more clutching her phone to her heart. Before she could share her virtual relationship's developments with her best friend, though, an uncanny sight stopped her dead in her tracks.

For, standing on the school steps, a mirthful Alya was struggling to gather her breath, unable to tear her gaze from a bashful Adrien and a pouting Nino.

Well.

Marinette had to do a double take to ensure that the boys standing in front of the redhead were really their friends. Because they looked _a lot_ different than usual.

Nino was clad in work boots and dark washed jeans, with a red t-shirt and a cross pendant. His everlasting headphones were around his neck, as usual, and he had complemented his look with a zip-up black hoodie. He could have looked _great._ But he obviously had other things in mind, seeing as he had taped up details on the hoodie with some orange-ish duct tape. His glasses had undergone a metamorphosis too, now carefully striped with bright yellow electric tape. And last but not least, the young man had traded his usual red cap for a ridiculous and vivid orange wig.

The comical and wacky effect was almost too much to handle for poor Marinette.

But then again, there was Adrien, standing awkwardly beside his best friend, not faring much better. He had swapped his usual clothes for a brown pair of pants with black suspenders and a deep blue button-down with a yellow bow tie. He could've looked dapper, stunning even, if it weren't for the way he had accessorized his look. In his blond mane he had stuck hair pins in an X pattern, and looking closer… yup, he was even sporting violet contacts, effectively changing his eye colour.

Unable to stifle the laughter that bubbled up in her chest, Marinette asked in a breathless voice, "What the hell is this about, boys?"

Without answering her, Nino flexed his arms toward Alya, wiggling his eyebrows at her ridiculously, "Hey Alya, babe, I'm the dangerous kind. You like that, huh?"

"You're deathly afraid of spiders and you slept with your teddy bear until last year," his girlfriend deadpanned without missing a single beat.

The blond choked on laughter while the offended DJ pouted even more, crossing his arms in front of him, "Aw, come on. You were gushing nonstop about that Seven dude!"

Giggling, Marinette playfully poked her crush on the arm, thankful she wasn't dissolving into a mess of stuttering around him anymore. His silly costume would've probably helped to take him down from his pedestal, anyway. "Seriously, Adrien, what's up with you guys?"

Adrien's blush, already pretty fierce, deepened a few shades, "This giant dork beside me got jealous over a fictional character, and dragged me into his madness. He talked me into cosplaying those guys you love so much."

Nino huffed, shaking his head in disbelief, "Don't you dare throw me under the bus, Agreste. You kept going all night about that Yoosung guy, about how much better than him you were, and about how you wished Mari would _mmmmph._ "

The curious girls never got around to hearing Adrien's wishes seeing as the young man, beet red by that point, chose that exact second to muffle his friend with his hand, unable to meet Marinette's gaze.

Taking mercy on the embarrassed boys, the blue-eyed girl smiled sweetly. "I'll have to admit, guys, your cosplays are very good. How much time did you spend on Tumblr last night to get the looks on point like that?"

"...All night," came Nino's sheepish answer, already fumbling to remove his wig. (It looked like a cheap wig anyway, it was probably starting to get itchy.) "I… you seemed to like this guy a lot, so I wanted to grab your attention, babe."

Alya chuckled, locking arms with her boyfriend. "You _already_ have my attention, stupid. I don't need you to change a single thing. And the electric tape on your glasses? A bit tacky, don't you think?"

Nino nodded, and sighed, "Adrien didn't even get to say his line! We rehearsed all night!" which prompted them all to burst out laughing again.

As they made their way toward their classroom, Adrien suddenly felt Marinette's small hand slip into his. Startled, he looked at his friend and croaked, "Mari?"

"What was that line? We can't possibly let all that rehearsing go to waste." she smiled, that sweet smile of hers that always made his heart skip a beat or two.

Blushing a few shades darker if it was humanly possible, the young man stuttered, "N-no matter what… what I look like, I'm… I'm the m-man who l-loves you."

The young woman stopped dead in her tracks beside him, watching him with sheer astonishment, before her expression somewhat softened. "That was silly, but really sweet of you, Adrien," the young woman said softly, her cheeks definitely a little pink. "But I agree with Alya, I like real-life Adrien better than online-game Yoosung."

At that second, Adrien suddenly thought that the humiliation he had willingly walked into was worth it after all.

* * *

Landing on their favorite rooftop with a soft thud, Ladybug noticed with delight that her loyal partner was already waiting for her. His back was turned to her, and was humming pensively as he kept tapping on his phone.

As she crept closer to him, she heard him mutter under his breath, "Why the hell would a girl follow a total stranger's instructions to an unknown location? Does she have a death wish or what?"

Looking over his shoulder, Ladybug grinned as she scared at least seven of his nine lives out of him. "Enjoying yourself, Chaton?"

The poor feline almost dropped his phone from the roof, catching it at the last possible second and fumbling with his words, "My-my la-lady! What- what a surprise!"

Laughing heartily at her dearest kitty's antics, the polka-dotted heroine sat herself on the roof beside him, nudging him playfully in the ribs without looking at his confused face, "I would never have pinned you as a _Mystic Messenger_ player, silly minou."

He huffed beside her, tucking his phone away in his suit's pocket, "I'm not. I'm just trying to understand what my girlfriend finds interesting in that game, and so far, I don't get it."

Surprised, Ladybug leaned back to rest on her extended arms, her bluebell gaze still fixed on the Eiffel Tower in the distance, "A girlfriend, Chat Noir? You've been holding back on me."

"It's… it's a rather recent development." His voice was soft, subdued.

"Well, I'm not showing up empty-handed either, mon minou. My crush confessed in the most awkward and silly way today, you should've been there, it was really something. He and his best friend dressed up as-"

Ladybug's words got caught up in her throat as her partner turned to look at her.

And he had _hairpins_ in his hair. Pinned into an X, holding his bangs out of his sight.

Just like Yoosung.

 _Just like Adrien that day._

 ** _AND HIS EYES WERE GLOWING PURPLE._**

Just like his phone seconds ago, Ladybug suddenly found herself flailing in mid-air, trying to get a grip of herself. Thankfully, Chat Noir hadn't caught up on what was happening yet, and still had enough reflexes to catch her before she'd fallen to a painful fate on the concrete a few stories below.

"My lady? Are you okay?" he inquired worriedly, his (OH GOSH WHY WERE THEY PURPLE? HAD HIS KWAMI NO SHAME AT ALL?) eyes searching her face for answers.

Trying to hold herself together, Ladybug whispered softly, so faintly that without his enhanced hearing he wouldn't have heard it, "Minou, why are you wearing hairpins?"

He instantly blushed, looking away. "It's silly, you're going to laugh at me. I wanted to impress a girl at school, so I dressed up like her favorite character from this game. I must have forgotten to remove them once I got home. Do you have a hairpin phobia or something? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Chat, why are your eyes _purple?"_

That sent him on a heartfelt rambling about how his kwami was a little mischievous imp and how he was going to get his daily supply of Camembert cut in half as soon as he'd get home.

It was ridiculous, honestly.

So Ladybug interrupted her partner's tirade, putting her hand on his arm. She smiled at him warmly (though she would never get used to those purple eyes, she would have to have a heartfelt chat with his misbehaving kwami), "Don't worry, minou, I still think real-life Chat is way better than online-game Yoosung."

The last thing she expected when she pressed her lips against his, though, was that the shock of her revelation coupled with the excitation of their first kiss (well, that he was aware of) would send the poor kitty tumbling off the roof, a love-sick grin painted on his face.

And as Ladybug rushed forward to catch him with her yoyo, she couldn't help the matching grin on her own face.


	8. Chapter 8: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 1

_Day 1: Mistakes / Aftermath_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

As they had done countless times before over the course of the last years, once again, his feet led him to the cemetery. Every time he felt like that, like he was about to choke on oxygen, like the walls of his room were closing up on him, like he was about to lose his mind, he sneaked out and walked until his feet hurt and his breathing became something natural again, instead of something he actively had to think about, step by step.

Weird as it may sound, Adrien liked the peaceful atmosphere that reigned in the cemetery. He rarely encountered other living beings, and the eerie silence was more often than not enough to calm his jittery nerves. He paced down the aisles, his hands buried in his pockets, once again painfully aware of his bare ring finger.

While he knew he had done the right thing when he had given away his miraculous, it didn't hurt any less. He missed Plagg every single day, missed the freedom of running across rooftops in the dead of the night. If he was to be honest with himself, he even missed fighting akumas with his beloved.

But Chat Noir was dead.

Well, that's what everyone thought, at least.

One year prior, when Hawkmoth had been defeated, Chat Noir never got out of the collapsed Agreste manor. Rescue teams had gone through the rubble for a week, but the only thing they ever found was a silver ring. Adrien knew for a fact that Master Fu had retrieved it from the police station, seeing as the old man had kindly tried to return it to the blond model.

Who had vehemently refused, unable to deal with the consequences of what had happened inside that manor.

So, according to all of Paris, Chat Noir had found his ultimate demise in the final fight against his mortal enemy, bringing him with him into death.

Ladybug had spent the entire week following his dramatic exit helping the volunteers dig through the ruins of the former Agreste mansion, refusing to give up. Alya had to physically force the heroine on more than one occasion to drink some water, eat a bit, rest for a few minutes. When it became clear that her partner was nowhere to be found, at least alive, Ladybug had fled the premises, to never be seen again.

Meanwhile, Adrien was doing his best to be forgotten. Sold his father's legacy, bought himself a nice apartment and disappeared from the face of the earth. A few chosen people were still aware of his whereabouts, notably Nino and Alya, but according to most Parisians, Adrien Agreste had fled the country to avoid dealing the scandal of his father's death.

Sighing as he tried to shake his grim thoughts away, Adrien quickened his pace between the memorials. If he was to turn left at the end of the aisle, he would find his mother's grave—a grave as empty as his, contrary to Gabriel Agreste's. He never turned left. Couldn't bring himself to face the lie that represented his mother's sepulture, couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that his very own cataclysm had put his father six-feet-under.

He always turned right. At the far end of that path was standing tall Chat Noir's monument, erected by Paris's citizen as a last homage to the allegedly fallen hero. The first few weeks, it had been a really crowded place, with so many flowers you could barely see the statue standing over the empty casket. Nowadays, it was as deserted as the remaining of the cemetery, as peaceful.

Lost in thoughts, he followed his usual path, the knot in his throat becoming less and less painful with every step he took. He didn't realize he had company before it was already too late.

For, sitting on the ground before Chat Noir's grave, hugging her knees to her chest, was a young lady, her shoulders unmistakably shaking with violent sobs. From where he was standing, he didn't recognize the black hair cut in a short pixie cut, nor the black trench coat that was hugging her waist snuggly. But when she whimpered pitifully, Adrien instantly recognized her voice.

"Why did you have to leave me?" she whined breathlessly, still sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't go on without you, Kitty. I need you. I just… I miss you so, so much. And it hurts, it hurts so much. I've failed you, I've failed to protect you, and now you're gone forever."

Adrien knew he was intruding on a rather private moment, knew perfectly well that the words dropping freely from her lips were never meant for his prying ears. But he was already too close to her to leave without risking her discovering his presence.

So he froze in place, his breath hitching in his throat as she went on. "Every single day without you is a torture, I thought that going away from Paris would ease the pain, but it only made it worse." She choked on yet another sob. "I love you, my kitty…"

Her last sentence was barely above a whisper, but to Adrien it felt worse than a punch to the solar plexus.

At that precise second, he knew that he had made a horrible mistake a year prior.

That he shouldn't have ever left her side, that by cowardly escaping the consequences of their actions, he had broken her too.

This was more than he could take.

Later, he would gently caress Marinette's cheek as he'd stare into her bluebell eyes, marveling at the incredible luck he had for her to be his lost partner, of having found her in a Parisian cemetery after she had moved to China for work purposes. Later, he'd giggle as he'd remember the surprised squeal she'd let out upon recognizing him, his heart swelling with love as he'd recall how she'd dissolve into tears in his arms.

But for the time being, his knees gave out under him and he dropped to the ground, pulling the anonymous woman into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, my lady."


	9. Chapter 9: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2

_Day 2: Secrets / Lies_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

Marinette stared at the closed door, her heart caught in her throat. She had expected to cry, for tears to stream down her cheeks, for the pain to be unbearable.

But if she has to be completely honest with herself, she had been expecting it.

What kind of relationship can last when it's built on a bunch of lies?

So from the very day Nathanael had won her heart, after her confession to Adrien had gone awry, she had expected it.

It was five years of dating down the drain, two years of engagement wasted. Seven years of far-fetched excuses, of missed events, of lies and deceptions. Seven years of hopes on her part that she and Chat Noir would finally manage to defeat Hawkmoth and go on with their lives. Seven years of her fiance hoping that she would finally stop lying to him about her whereabouts.

Truth be told, Nathanael had been more than patient with her. Had gone through her countless disappearances, had politely excused her to his parents from all the family dinners she had skipped, had forgiven every single private view of his exhibitions she had failed to attend.

But even the most patient man in the world has his limits. And tonight had been the last straw for the poor Nathanael.

He had caught her sneaking back through their living room window at three a.m. after a particularly nasty fight, disheveled and out of breath. Questions about where she had spent the night went unanswered, her blue gaze stubbornly strained on the hardwood floor, and Nathanael had ultimately snapped.

Really bad. But it was long overdue, and Marinette was perfectly aware of that.

Accusations she hadn't been able to refute were thrown at her, suitcases were packed, last chances were given.

He had begged her to prove him wrong, to explain her whereabouts of the night, to give him a single reason to stay by her side.

And when she had failed to, he had stormed out of their apartment, slamming the door behind him.

And yet, all she felt was an odd numbness. His trust in her had been wearing thin for a long time now, they had only been stretching the inevitable.

Suddenly, the air of the cozy apartment felt heavy, toxic even, so she transformed and leaped back through the open window, putting as much distance as she could between her and a life that was no longer hers.

Later that night, around five a.m., a worried Chat Noir landed at the top of the Eiffel Tower. His Ladyblog alerts had warned him that his partner was oddly out, and it had instantly made his nerves jittery. They never patrolled on nights where there had been akumas, if only for the sole purpose of resting.

They were human beings under the masks, after all.

As expected, Ladybug was already there, her feet dangling from one of the highest beams. Her shoulders were slumped, her head bowed down, and she kept rolling a small object between her fingers.

He sat beside her, gently nudging her with his shoulder. "We agreed to call it off for tonight, my lady. What's keeping you up?"

"My fiance left me." Her voice was soft, subdued. Strangely calm.

Taken aback, Chat Noir grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to face him. "What? Why? I thought you had already saved the date and everything."

"We had. We were supposed to get married in a month." Her beautiful bluebell eyes were dulled, devoid of their usual playful spark.

"What happened then?" His tone was gentle, never prying.

She sighed, slumping over herself a little bit further. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking that being with Chat Noir would be easier, if only her stupid heart would agree to love him like he loved her. Like he still claimed to love her, after ten years of rejection, seven of which she was with someone else. "He thinks I cheated on him."

"With who?"

"You."

Had she punched him in the stomach, she wouldn't have hurt him this bad. He was the reason behind his lady's pain, the reason why the man she loved had left her.

His thoughts were interrupted by the young woman wrapping her arms around his neck and finally, at last, breaking into violent sobs. It was like her whole body had decided to break down all at once, shivering and choking on her laments in his embrace.

She cried like that for what seemed hours, before she slowly managed to regain her composure, steadying her breathing and her whole being stopped shaking.

When the sun began to rise on the horizon, she sniffed loudly, flashing him a grateful but small smile. "Thanks, Chaton. You're always there when I need it, it means a lot to me."

She got up, looking at the small object in her hands with a slight frown. Sighing, she threw it toward him before taking off. "Take it. Hopefully it'll bring you better luck than it did me."

Left behind, stunned beyond words, Chat Noir contemplated the object she had tossed at him before vanishing into the night.

It was her engagement ring.

A unique engagement ring, with a decent-sized diamond the exact shade of her eyes, circled by smaller white stones. On either sides of the blue gem was a white-gold flower, with a smaller jewel in guise of heart.

A ring he knew, a ring he recognized without a single doubt.

For, over the course of the last two years, he had heard on more than one occasion Alya gush to no end about how romantic it had been from Nathanael to get Marinette a ring made specifically for her.

For, over the course of the last two years, he had seen that very same ring on Marinette's left hand every time he had met the young woman.

 _Marinette._

Marinette, who he had rejected about seven prior, more harshly than he would've liked, only because she had chosen to confess to him mere minutes after a nasty fight with his father.

 _Marinette,_ who he had apparently comforted atop the Eiffel Tower that night, as she had dissolved into violent sobs within his leather-clad arms, completely heartbroken.

Marinette, who had found solace into Nathanael's steady affections, surrendering her heart to the quiet and kind artist.

 _Marinette,_ who had broken her partner's heart some time later, greeting him with news of her engagement.

Marinette, whose heart was broken once again, only because she hadn't been able to justify her nightly escapades to her fiance. Her nightly escapades with _him,_ the fool who had pushed the woman of his dreams away years prior _._

The way to his apartment was a mere blur, and when he detransformed, he was faced with an obviously pleased with himself kwami. The black feline snickered, floating in front of his charge, "So? You figured it out? You must be thrilled."

A pitiful whimper escaped Adrien's lips as he dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands. "She can't ever know who I am."

"What?" exclaimed Plagg, taken aback. "What are you talking about kid?"

"It's the second time she gets her heart broken because of me. She'll never forgive me if she ever finds out."

"Kid…" the little god reached to his charge, but Adrien was shaking his head, tears running freely down his cheeks.

"No Plagg. She has been hurt enough because of me. She… She can never know."

If Adrien never noticed the shadow leaving his roof, Plagg certainly did. And smirked knowingly.


	10. Chapter 10: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 3

_Day 3: Family / Friends_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

Sabine sighed as she closed the trapdoor to her daughter's room behind her. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, as yet another lie was bared before her eyes.

"I'm tired, going to bed mama. I have a full day ahead of me tomorrow," Marinette had said, kissing her mother's cheek and disappearing upstairs, as she did every single night.

And as she did every single night, her mother had followed her minutes later to check up on her daughter.

Honestly, Sabine didn't know what she had been expecting when she had climbed those dreaded stairs, but in all honesty, she shouldn't surprised.

For the last few years, it had always been the same pattern, repeating over and over again.

Marinette was rarely home, always blaming her more than frequent absences on her schoolwork, plans with her numerous friends, designing gigs that couldn't wait. Most of the time, she wouldn't even answer her phone, and her alibis were flimsy at best. She was constantly lying about her whereabouts, and Sabine felt like her daughter was slipping through her fingers, withdrawing herself further and further from her parents.

True, Marinette was twenty-one now, and deep inside Sabine knew that her daughter needed freedom, needed to spread her wings. But why in the world did she feel the need to do so in secrecy? Tom and she had always been understanding parents, present as much as they could for their daughter, always ready to lend a listening ear. What had changed?

Unanswered questions choking her, Sabine did something she never did before: she lingered in Marinette's room instead of going back downstairs right away, worried of intruding onto her daughter's privacy. She walked to the office desk, smiling as she spotted the grinning faces of Alya, Nino and Adrien on various pictures. A sketchbook laid open, with a black and green hoodie hastily drawn on it, various notes scribbled in the margin in the round, neat handwriting she knew so well.

A movement on Marinette's computer screen caught her eye, and she saw that the Ladyblog was live. Captivated by the images dancing in front of her eyes, Sabine sat in the office chair, watching in awe as Ladybug and Chat Noir easily defeated the villain of the day, playing along for their fans as they kissed for the cameras before vanishing into the night, hand in hand. The superheroic pair had been openly dating for a year or so now, but every self-respecting Parisian knew that their story had begun way before that.

Was that what Marinette was trying to hide from them? That she was dating Adrien? Sabine repressed a chuckle at the thought. True, they still weren't dating in the open, but the pair had grown incredibly close over the years, and to anyone knowing them on a personal level, it was crystal clear that they were head over heels for each other. Public displays of affection was a common occurrence for those two, constantly hugging, holding hands and so on.

Sabine was startled out of her thoughts by footsteps on the balcony, followed by muffled conversation. How… How in the world could this even be possible? Worried about intruders, she crept to the skylight and peeked through it.

Stunned beyond words, she was greeted by the uncanny sight of Ladybug pulling her partner into a long kiss, ignoring the bright pink light engulfing her and leaving no other than Marinette in its wake.

Speechless, Sabine watched as her daughter pressed her lips once again on Chat Noir's, giggling softly.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Chaton?"

The leather-clad hero bowed low, kissing Marinette's knuckles. "I'll be there around noon. Sleep well, Mari."

Another kiss, and the hero was gone as the young woman opened the skylight and let herself drop onto her bed.

And gasped.

"M-m-mom!? W-what-"

Her mind reeling, Sabine tried to process what she had just witnessed. Her precious little daughter was risking her life time and time again. Why her? Why her baby?

Obviously uneasy at having been caught, Marinette closed the distance between them and whispered softly, "I'm sorry I had to hide it from you, mama, I had no choice."

Looking at her daughter, the strong, wonderful woman that she had become, reconciling what she knew about Ladybug and Marinette in her mind, Sabine suddenly knew that everything would be alright. Chat Noir would continue to protect her baby, they would continue to fight villains together, and they would continue to be victorious time and time again.

As she pulled her daughter into a bone crushing hug, Sabine quietly chuckled in her ear. "So, how is it?"

"How is what?"

"Making out with a superhero?"

"MOM!"


	11. Chapter 11: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 4

_Day 4: Love / Life_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Slightly NSFW. A sequel to day 1_ _, but can be read as a standalone._

Marinette stirred lazily between the tangled sheets. The strong, steady sound of a beating heart was steadily thumping against her cheek. Her naked skin shivered under the bite of the air, and she pressed herself further against the warm body laying partly underneath her.

Memories of the previous day floated at the forefront of her mind, bringing back with them the odd mix of feelings that had submerged her when her deceased partner had somehow appeared on his own grave, somehow miraculously breathing and well, in a Parisian cemetery.

The rest of their day was kinda blurry to her. Back in the cemetery, she had dissolved in a mess of tears within Adrien's arms, unable to believe that after all this time, all this pain, she had been given another shot at being with her missing partner.

Somehow, their lips had eventually latched onto each other's, and Marinette had found herself held tight against Adrien's chest, feverish kisses pressed onto her lips. Hastily whispered apologies were mumbled against her lips, familiar hands she thought she'd never feel on her skin again were holding her tight.

They had managed to find their way back to her hotel, their skins always connecting in one way or another. He held onto her hand like a lifeline, stopping in every single alley that cross their path to kiss her like he was a drowning man and she was his oxygen.

Their heated reunion within her sheets had been both a balm on her wounds and a curse to her broken heart. The day prior, she hadn't been considering consequences. Her kitty, her partner, her best friend was alive against all odds, and she had surrendered to the overwhelming emotions taking over her.

But now, in the odd silence of her hotel room only broken by Adrien's breathing under her ear, the ramifications of his sudden and unexpected reveal finally sunk in. For the past year, she had believed him dead. Had mourned a partner that was busy living his life elsewhere, without her.

Sure enough, she knew he must have had wounds of his own to tend to. After all, he _had_ delivered the final blow to his very own father, had been left an alleged orphan in the aftermaths of the final fight, and found his life turned upside down upon the untimely reveal that his very own father had been the villain they had been fighting for the past years.

But waking up in his arms, her skin bared for the world to see, much less fond and understanding thoughts found their way to her heart. A year. A whole year spent mourning him, searching him within every green-eyed blond to cross her path.

A whole year of regrets, of useless wishes that somehow, somewhere along the way she had done things slightly differently and gave him reasons to fight for them, reasons to remain by her side.

Those useless regrets stifling her, Marinette tore herself from the blond's embrace and tried to gather her clothes as silently as she could, hoping with all her might to avoid waking him up.

"Where are you going?"

Marinette stilled, clad in her panties and her shirt, staring at the handsome man sleepily looking at her from her hotel bed. "I'm sorry, Adrien, this was a huge mistake. I let my emotions drive me. You abandoned me a year ago, you chose to hide like a coward, and I don't think I can handle another heartbreak right now."

With a slight groan, Adrien rolled onto his stomach, and looked directly at her. "Let me make something clear. A year ago, I gave up on you because I thought that was the best thing to do for both of us."

Standing up in all his naked glory, the young man closed the distance between them, placing his hands on her shoulders and coaxing her to face him. "I love you, Marinette. I've loved you ever since I was fifteen, and I still love you like a mad man. I won't ever repeat my mistakes. I know that I've hurt you, but I will redeem myself. See it as a fair warning, but I fully intend on fighting for your heart until my dying breath."

Without thinking, without processing his words fully, Marinette found her lips crashed against his once again.

Hours later, she would wake up in the same tangled sheets, pressed against the same beating heart.

But this time around, she'd mind a lot less.


	12. Chapter 12: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 5

_Day 5: Victory / Defeat_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

"I love you, my lady."

She laughed, pulling him into a tight hug. "I love you too, silly minou. You're my best friend."

"That's not what I meant." He shook his head sadly, looking somewhat defeated. "I'm… I'm in _love_ with you, Bugaboo. Have been for a pretty long time."

Her breath caught in her throat hearing those words. Sure, her partner had wiggled his way into a special spot in her heart over the course of the last few years. She trusted him with her life, and if it weren't for Adrien, she wouldn't need that much of a nudge to fall in love with the leather-clad hero.

Loving Chat Noir would be easier, simpler. He was there, standing in front of her, proclaiming his love for her. He would understand all the ramifications of her double-life, wouldn't mind her numerous disappearances. He was the sole human being able to understand her, their duty to the city.

Loving Chat Noir was the logical choice, and at that precise second she hated her heart for not making it.

Because there was Adrien. Adrien, on whom her heart stubbornly refused to give up, no matter how much her head knew that it was useless. Adrien, who still had her heart in the palm of his hand after all this time, not that he knew that or cared the slightest.

So reluctantly, her voice breaking and tears pooling in her eyes, she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm sorry, Chat. I… I can't love you back, not that way."

His shoulders slumped and he averted his gaze from hers. "Is… There's someone else, isn't it?"

When she failed to answer, her bluebell eyes heavy with guilt and regrets, he extended his staff and vaulted himself away into the night.

Wordlessly.

* * *

"You didn't even let her explain herself, Adrien."

Marinette stopped dead in her tracks as she passed a hallway she thought empty, the unfamiliar voice startling her out of her sulking. Retreating back out of sight, she witnessed Adrien standing in the middle of said hallway, tears streaming down his beautiful face, a black creature floating in front of him.

A _kwami._

 _Chat Noir'_ s kwami.

Realization painfully sunk in, as Adrien talked again. "What was left to explain, Plagg? She loves someone else. The love of my life doesn't love me back. That's all I needed to know."

Marinette might've thought she had made the right choice when she had let her heart win the battle, when she had chosen to love Adrien. But right now, standing in a lonely hallway, watching his retreating back get further and further away from her, it felt nothing like victory.


	13. Chapter 13: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 6

_Day 6: Confessions / Reveal_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

"I'm going away for some time, Chat."

The words had been said, somewhat reluctantly, at the end of a patrol. He had looked at her, understandably surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Hawkmoth is defeated. Paris no longer needs us. I'm going away."

He had sighed, shaking his head disbelievingly. They had been partners for half a decade, did she really think that she could deceive him that easily? "Something's bothering you, Bugaboo. Hawkmoth's been safely tucked behind bars for two years already. What are you running away from? Why now?"

Ladybug had carefully averted her gaze, her shoulders slumped. "I just can't take it anymore, minou. I'm sorry."

"What are you talking about?"

She had fought a sob, he was able to tell by the familiar way she had retreated upon herself, turning her head away from him and lowering her chin. "I thought I could move on, forget him and live my life like nothing at all ever happened. But my best friend's dating _his_ best friend, and I'm constantly confronted to him. His rejection is shoved in my face almost daily, and I can't take it anymore. It hurts, it hurts so bad, and I have to get away if only for my own sanity."

This has effectively silenced Chat Noir. His lady, the woman he had blindly devoted his heart to for almost five years was apparently in love with someone else. Not only that, but that _someone else_ was dense enough to reject her, to break her precious heart. "You shouldn't run away on his behalf."

Ladybug had smiled absently, staring into Paris' nightly peacefulness. "I knew you would disagree. Hence why I already bought the tickets. I'm leaving for New York City. On April 13th."

No amount of coaxing, of reassurances, of hugs and kisses managed to change her mind. So ultimately, he settled on sighing defeatedly, "There's nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?"

"Tickets are already bought, Kitty," she had answered, her heart caught somewhere in her throat.

"It doesn't matter. What are you running away from?" He had grabbed her hands, begging her to change her mind, fighting tears of his own. "If it's a money matter, I'll reimburse your tickets in a heartbeat. Please, just don't leave me."

She had shaken her head, stubbornly refusing to look at him. "An amazing job opportunity has been offered to me. I…I wasn't asking for permission, Chat. I was only telling you so you wouldn't search for me."

She had left not long after that, leaving him to his fruitless musings on the roof, left alone to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

* * *

"Next Thursday, Marinette's gonna Skype-call me from New York. You guys want in?" Alya's statement had came in matter-of-factly, effortlessly.

To Adrien, it felt like a punch to the gut, and he only managed to breathlessly utter, "From New York?"

Nino chuckled disbelievingly, shaking his head. "Okay, now I know that you've been pretty out of it lately, but you surely can't have skimmed over the fact that Mari moved to the Big Apple last week?"

His heart pounding in his ears, Adrien recalled his last conversation with Ladybug, how she was running from a man who had broken her heart. A shy Marinette stuttering a confession to him a few months prior floated at the forefront of his mind, the painful and broken look in her eyes when he had reluctantly told her that his affections laid elsewhere breaking his own heart over and over again.

Marinette.

"You okay there?" asked Nino somewhat worriedly. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"When?" Adrien croaked inelegantly, prompting his friends to exchange a knowing look.

Alya smiled softly. "On Thursday, I didn't know you were missing her that much, she'll be thrilled to-"

"No, when did she leave?"

Before she even answered, he knew. He knew that he had broken the woman he loved so much, that he had driven her away from him. It didn't prevent him from feeling like he was freefalling when Alya spoke again.

"On April 13th."


	14. Chapter 14: Don't Go Breaking My Heart 7

_Day 7: Free day / AU_

 _Series of drabbles for 2017's Miraculous Angst Week._  
 _Or how I spent an entire week hurting my babies_  
 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

 ** _Warning_** _: Major Character(s) Death. AU where Marinette's heart failed her while giving birth. Potential triggers ahead, including death at childbirth and child abandon._

Adrien knocked on the bakery's door, a sharp, short knock. The bundle in his arms squirmed, obviously startled by the unexpected sound, and the blond shifted his weight slightly, hoping with all his might that the slight rocking motion would put her back to sleep. The last thing he needed, the last thing he felt able to handle right now was dealing with a wailing newborn.

A newborn that had cost him his wife.

The bakery's door suddenly opened wide, revealing a worried Sabine, clad in her nightgown. "Adrien? Is everything alright? Come in, dear."

The woman's voice woke up the baby for good, and she instantly started howling in protests. Adrien handed the crying bundle to Sabine, refusing to look at her. "Can… Can you take care of her for a while?"

He didn't give any explanation, he knew he didn't have to. Sure enough, Sabine readjusted the weight of her grand-daughter in her arms, tears pricking in her eyes as she eyed the broken young man standing in front of her. "Please reconsider your decision, Adrien, this is not what she would've wanted."

"I just can't. She knew. She knew all along that her heart might not handle the childbirth, and she hid it from me." Tears were rolling freely down his face, and he carefully averted his eyes from the perceptive woman that reminded him way too much of the love he had lost.

"Adrien, she's going to need her daddy some-"

"She deserves better." he cut in, choking back a sob. "She deserves someone who'll love unconditionally, who won't hold her responsible for what happened to Mari.. I... I can't be that person for her right now... I'm sorry..."

Without sparing his daughter another glance, without giving Sabine time to try to change his mind once more, Adrien broke into a sprint, disappearing at the end of the street.

It was the last time Adrien Agreste was ever seen.

* * *

"Nonna?"

Sabine woke up groggily, assessing the little figure standing in the doorway of her bedroom. "Emma? Is everything alright?"

The little girl took that as her signal, her permission. She climbed into her grandparents' bed, wiggling her way between Tom's huge snoring body and Sabine's open arms. She rested her blonde head in the crook of her grandmother's neck, sighing contently. "I had a nightmare."

"What happened?"

"A mean man was trying to hurt you and Pappy."

The older woman nestled her granddaughter carefully in her arms, and kissed the crown of her hair. "You know that won't happen. Your mama and your papa gave Pappy and I a very important mission: we have to take good care of you, because they aren't able to anymore."

The five-year-old smiled within her Nonna's embrace. "Can you tell me about them?"

"Emma, it's three a.m., you should go back to sleep."

"Please…" the little girl begged, planting a kiss on Sabine's cheek.

"Alright," Sabine gave in, "what do you want me to tell you?"

"How they defeated Lady Wifi! Tatie Alya was the best villain!"


	15. Chapter 15: Friends as Old as Times

_Post-reveal, Adrien and Chloé find themselves struggling upon an old bet._  
 _The first amongst the pair to snatch a kiss from Ladybug will get to choose what the other will wear at school the next day._  
 _What can go wrong?_

 _Rare Pair Flash Exchange for clairelutra_

 _Originally posted in April 2017_

* * *

"I'm not wearing this to school. Not in this lifetime, and not in the next."

Adrien snickered. He had expected as much from his childhood friend. "You've lost the bet, Chlo. This is your punishment, earned fair and square."

The blonde heiress sighed, holding the polka-dotted dress in front of her. "I'm not so sure about fair and square. _Chat Noir_ was supposed to win _Labybug_ over, not the other way around."

Adrien smiled, checking his phone absentmindedly for the hundrieth time that afternoon. "Can you really blame Mari for going after what she wanted? That unplanned identity reveal was a huge game changer for all of us, but I'll be forever grateful that it prompted my lady to finally act upon her feelings for me."

"Ugh. You're getting all sappy again." weakly groaned Chloé, still holding the offending garment in front of her body, her lips tightened in silent disaproval.

"What's the matter, Chlo?" asked Adrien, visibly smug with himself. "Are you worried Ladybug's awesomeness is going to rub off on you?"

"Of course not!" squealed the yound woman, tossing the dress away dismissingly. "It's just that, people may talk. Identify me as her, or what not."

"We all know who the real Ladybug truly is," Adrien smiled, probably much fonder than he should have. "That's the only thing that matters."

"Yeah, so your hopeless ladylove is Marinette, please remember me why I should care at all and wear that ridiculous polka-dotted dress to school tomorrow?"

"Because Chat Noir snatched a kiss from Ladybug before Queen Bee did, that's why."

Chloé shrugged, sighing dejectedly. "But now, Marinette and you are in a digusting _exclusive_ relationship, and I'll never get my kiss."

"Should I feel sorry for being in love with my soulmate?"

Chloé shoved him playfully, blushing beyond her control. "You planned this bet all along with Marinette."

The blond chuckled, shaking his head disbelievingly. "Why are you so intent on stating I've cheated?"

The heiress sighed dramatically, sending her kwami a warning gaze. "Our bet was clear, Adrien. If Chat Noir managed to woo Ladybug before the end of this schoolyear, I'd wear a Marinette's creation of your choice to school. But as things are right now, Marinette has Adrien wrapped around her little finger as we speak, so I'm not sure it counts at all."

Staring out the open window, Adrien dreamily sighed. "I love her, Chloé. I love her with everything I am, with everything I'll ever be."

"Stop being such a sap, for God's sake!"

"Does that mean you'll wear Mari's dress to school tomorrow?" Adrien asked, a playful smile dancing on his lips.

Chloé shot him a mean look, but smiled nonetheless. "You really love her, don't you?"

"I love her more than I thought it was possible to love someone. I loved her when she was a faceless heroine sacrificing herself time and time again, and ever since I found out she was Marinette Dupain-Cheng out of all people, I love her even more."

The blonde heiress smiled, clutching the spotted dress to her chest. "Alright, then. I'll wear the polka-dotted dress to school tomorrow. But you'll have to sneak a word in for me with Vixen."

Adrien grinned as he was answering one of Marinette's text with a meme. "I'm on it."


	16. Chapter 16: Mine

_While playing videogames, Marinette notices something's off with Adrien._  
 _Could he be... jealous?_

 _Tumblr Drabble for Lucky_

 _Originally posted in June 2017_

* * *

They were seating in Marinette's room, playing Ultimate Mecha Strike, and she was totally and utterly destroying him. She could tell his mind was not in the game, and after the fifteenth time her character completely smashed his, Marinette turned off the console, crossing her arms in front of her and staring straight into his eyes.

"Okay Adrien, there's something bothering you. You've been off all night, and I have yet to hear a pun from you today. What's wrong? You fought with your dad again?"

He squirmed uncomfortably under her peering gaze, instead choosing to stare intently at the tip of his orange shoes. The silence stretched awkwardly for a few seconds before he blurted out almost despite himself, "Is it alright if I call you princess? Like, at school and stuff?"

Marinette blinked, taken aback, and gaped at him. "This—This is really why you were acting that weird all evening? Why do you ask so suddenly?"

"It's…" he trailed off, shoulders slumped, face crestfallen. "It's just, I overheard Nathanael asking you out this morning, in the hall. I just thought that the way I'm acting with you might send mixed messages and—"

Before he could say anything else, Marinette set her controller aside and climbed into his lap, burying her fingers in his hair on the nape of his neck. He sighed contentedly under her touch, the sadness still lingering in his eyes. She rested her forehead against his, gently lifting his chin to look into his eyes, "Is my silly kitty jealous, by any chance?"

"I'm not jealous! It's just … you're mine!" he mumbled, his pout so adorable that she almost couldn't resist kissing him right then and there to put him out of his misery.

Instead, she rested her head in the crook of his neck and snaked her arms around his waist. "You know, Ladybug and Chat Noir have been dating for a bit now… I think that maybe, just maybe, it would be time for Adrien and Marinette to follow suit?"

Adrien choked on his saliva as he spluttered, trying to process her words correctly. "Do … do you really mean...?"

"I love you, Adrien, Chat, you. And if you're right and we're sending mixed signals, then I'd like to send the right one."

"What…" he gulped, not sure he wanted to hear her answer, "what about your date with Nathanael?"

She laughed, that bubbly and genuine laugh he loved so much. "Do you really think I'd go on a date with someone else, kitty? I told him that I had feelings for someone else, and the story ends there."

When she put things in perspective like that, he felt kind of stupid for the way he had reacted. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip out of embarrassment, but Marinette reached forward at the same time to hug him closer. As a result, his teeth almost broke the skin and Adrien let out a whimper of pain. "Ouch, I bit my lip … kiss it better?"

Marinette leaned in, smiling, and planting a quick, tender peck just on the corner of his lips.

When she retreated, striking teasingly, Adrien whined longingly, "Mari! That was barely even a kiss! Do it again—please?"

Marinette shifted in his lap, straddling him, and laced her arms around his neck and smiling lovingly against his lips, "Shut up and kiss me already."

The next morning Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng walked into school hand in hand.


	17. Chapter 17: Everything in Between

_On a class trip to the beach to celebrate the end of an era, Adrien and Marinette muse on their relationship._  
 _Is it time_ already _to take things to another level?_

 _Summer Exchange for_ clairelutra

 _Originally posted in June 2017_

* * *

Marinette dipped her toes into the clear water, carefully scanning her surroundings. Given the really early hour, she assumed that she was the only one up, but she didn't want to chance being seen with her kwami in plain sight.

Nor fall victim to another one of Adrien and Nino's silly pranks.

She watched, amused, as Tikki stole those few precious seconds of privacy to dive into the open sea, apparently enjoying the fresh sensation of the water on her cute little kwami tushie. Marinette smiled to herself as she made a point to scold Adrien for depriving his own kwami, Plagg, of the same leisure by extending his beauty sleep later than hers.

Soon enough, the beach would be overcrowded by their entire class and any hope of some calm or alone time would quickly crumble to dust. After all, like Kim had made a point to state time and time again on the bus, they hadn't ridden four hours in a crummy school bus to lay like lazy starfish on the sand. It was their last weekend together, as a group, as a class, and each and every single one of them intended to make the most of it.

Come next fall, they would all have to take their first tentative steps into adulthood.

For the time being, they were going to savor their last days of being reckless teens.

Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, and a well-known voice whispered in her ear, "What a pretty sight, isn't it?"

Marinette chuckled, leaning back into Adrien's tight and familiar embrace. "I've always loved the sea so much. It always had a soothing effect on me."

"I wasn't speaking of the landscape," he answered, pressing a kiss on the crown of her head.

The young lady tensed within his arms, somehow forgetting that his bare chest was pressed against the smooth skin basically completely exposed by the bikini Alya had coaxed her into wearing. She hissed through clenched teeth, trying to hide how much she liked the faint brush of his breath against her skin, "Adrien! People are going to see us!"

He chuckled behind her, a sound that was so Chat-like that she wondered how in the world she had missed it all of this time. A sound that, in the meantime, dismissed any remnants of shyness she might still have around the famous model on her part, replaced that empty infatuation with something deeper, more meaningful.

"So what if they do, Mari?" he said, uncertainty tainting his teasing tone. "I'm not a single second ashamed of being seen with Paris's most amazing, beautiful, creative and sassy woman. Why? What about me? Am I your dirty little secret?"

The heavy implication of his words wasn't lost on her, and she took a second to ponder them. The Marinette that had been fantasizing about the young model for years knew that he was kept on a rather tight leash, having next to no freedom as he grew up. The superheroine who had been pushing his partner away on too many previous occasions knew perfectly well how much her silly kitty aimed to please, how thirsty for attention he was.

Their relationship was still new, and they were still easing into it, but she cherished it with all her heart and didn't want to jeopardize it with misplaced worries.

It had all begun roughly two weeks prior, when a very odd akuma had struck and, in a peculiar twist of fate, left four very disturbed young people. For, by some insane quirk of its powers, it had left one puzzled Adrien Agreste, one hysteric Marinette Dupain-Cheng, one face-palming Ladybug and one madly chuckling Chat Noir staring at each other.

Separate entities and stranded. With their hearts stuck in their throats.

It had taken a little more than an hour to take down the akuma and bring the four of them back into only two breathing beings.

It had taken the better part of a week for Adrien to ease Marinette into the newfound knowledge that the leather-clad hero she spent her evenings making out on her balcony with was also the shy and almost too polite classmate sitting in front of her.

It had taken the best part of a week for Marinette to be the same sassy, confident girl around him whether he was sporting leather cat ears or not, whether she was donning polka dots or not.

Once they finally did come to terms with the newfound dynamic of their relationship, though, not even a crowbar could pry them apart.

From that day forward, Chat Noir and Ladybug could be spotted every single night, cuddling, kissing and laughing on some rooftop. They were barely able to keep their hands off each other as soon as they were suited up, to the complete delight of Alya along with the better part of Paris's population.

That's why Adrien and Marinette had reluctantly agreed that having a relationship as their civilian selves for the time being was off the table, to avoid questions they wouldn't be able to answer. They both dutifully and painfully refrained from pouncing on each other at school, trying to keep their lustful glances to a minimum as they slowly but surely grew closer than ever before as Adrien and Marinette, under Alya's approving gaze.

For the time being though, they were alone on a French beach on an early June morning, with no prying eyes around. Adrien sighed, not for the first time over the course of the last two weeks wishing the akuma that started it all would come back, and dissociate the heros from the civilians again so that he could finally love his princess in the open. "Am I, Mari?"

"Of course not!" she squealed, suddenly spinning within his arms. "Why would I ever be ashamed of being with the man I love?"

He gasped, and she realized that she had accidentally dropped the L-word on him…

...and that the last thing she wanted was to take it back.

Before she knew what was happening, Adrien's lips came crashing down on hers, claiming her in a searing kiss that left her legs wobbly and her heart thumping loudly in her ears. When he pulled apart, breathless, he rested his forehead against hers and flashed her a toothy grin that melted her heart. "Say it again."

She beamed at him, her fingers burying themselves in the blond locks on the nape of his neck, "I love you. I love you, Adrien Agreste, I love you, Chat Noir."

With a throaty laugh, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, stars glistening in the green eyes. "I love you too, Marinette. You… you have no idea how much I love you, how much you've just made me the happiest man alive, my lady, my princess."

When he lowered her to the ground, she kissed him this time, tiptoeing into his embrace to press her lips on his softly, almost reverently. He relaxed under her touch, the matching grins splitting their faces making it hard to kiss properly.

Marinette was faintly aware of Plagg and Tikki's laughs somewhere in the water, of the rays of the rising sun kissing the skin of her back, of the warmth of Adrien's hands on her bare hips, of the loud cheers and whoops of their classmates in the background, of—

Wait, what?

They sprung apart, both of their faces ablaze with fierce blushes. The first to reach them was Nino, who energetically pounded his best friend on the back, "About time, man!"

"I, erm, we- I mean, Marinette had sand in her eye and I was trying to get it out," Adrien stammered, desperately looking at Marinette in hopes that she'd fly to his rescue.

No such luck.

Marinette was standing there, mouth slightly agape, eyes blank, cheeks as red as a firetruck, clearly unable to form any coherent sentences.

Alix, on the other hand, was still unfortunately perfectly able to think _and_ speak, "With your tongue in her _mouth_ , Adrien? Weird way to fish the sand out of her _eye._ "

The entire class erupted in a collective and cheerful laugh, and Adrien knew right then that denying the obvious was useless.

And he found that he didn't care the slightest.

Even later that day, when Kim teased him relentlessly for blushing as he applied sunscreen on Marinette's back.

Even when he and his lady stole the spotlight in a beach volley match, years of partnership doing wonders to coordinate their movements.

Even when Chloe somehow managed to akumatize Juleka over a bathing suit incident, leading to the _wettest_ fight they ever had.

Even by the campfire as Marinette fell asleep in his lap, her head lolling lazily on his shoulder, roasted marshmallows and s'mores lying forgotten beside them.

No.

He didn't care that his whole class knew that he was completely, hopelessly and madly in love with Marinette.

In fact, he wanted nothing more than tell the entire world that Adrien Agreste loved Marinette Dupain-Cheng, that Chat Noir loved Ladybug…

And everything in between.


	18. Chapter 18: Pleasure

_Ladybug has found a brand new and really effective way of shutting her silly partner up: kissing him._  
 _But night after night, they push the boundaries of what the suits allow them to do to each other a little bit further, until neither of them is able to resist their desires anymore._  
 _Illustrated by the amazing Eizabet! .com!_

 _Warning: explicit sexual content_

* * *

It had started innocently enough.

At the end of a patrol, Chat Noir had been shooting pun after puns, tirelessly. Ladybug had been exhausted that night, finals and commissions taking their toll on her in between the more and more frequent akumas and almost daily patrols.

His endless puns irked her just the right way, and she did the only sensible thing to silence him once and for all.

She grabbed him by the bell and kissed him.

Hard.

This was all a logical decision, after all. What better way to shut the obnoxious kitty than to shock him into a stupor?

What was a lot less logical, though, was how their lips latched onto each other of their own accord by the end of the next patrol.

And the next.

And the one after that.

No, nothing could explain how Ladybug found herself pinned between a cold brick wall and the firm, searing hot body of Chat Noir on a Tuesday evening.

He laid open-mouthed kisses on the little patch of exposed skin between the top of her collar and her jaw, getting drunk on the breathy moans that he coaxed out of her.

Her legs felt weak, and she was grateful that he held her so tightly; a hand pressed on the small of her back as the other held her wrists above her head.

He ceased his lavish attention on her neck long enough for her to remember how to breathe and the familiar weight of his head rested on her collarbone. "You're driving me crazy, Chat," she managed to choke out, her newly freed hands finding their way into his blond locks, threading through and clinging to them like a lifeline.

He chuckled breathlessly against her suit, sending shivers down her spine. "That's kinda the idea, Bugaboo."

Figuring they had gotten plenty enough of oxygen, Ladybug tugged gently on his hair to lift his head, the gentle coax a stark contrast with the way she brought down her lips on his. She kissed him with a hunger fueled by all the make-out sessions that had left her hot and bothered night after night, with a fire in her veins that could only be satiated by him.

Chat Noir whimpered in the kiss, the evidence of his arousal pressed against her thigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him even closer. "I… I wish the suit could come off," she whispered in between kisses, drunk on his touch, on his taste.

Chat Noir tasted like chocolate and coffee, his arms felt just like home. Being with him, just like this, losing her mind and her name on a dark rooftop in the dead of the night lit a fire within her core that she had no idea how to quench…

… up until Chat's thigh slid up between her legs, putting a delicious pressure just in the right spot.

The unbidden moan that left her lips did nothing to calm Chat Noir's arousal. He dove down for another searing kiss, his tongue darting forward to slide along the seam of her lips, begging for an entrance that she instantly granted, his hands caressing down her sides and firmly gripping her by the hips.

Ladybug melted into the kiss, pressing herself flush against his body, her own arousal beginning to feel unbearable. She wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him to support her weight as he backed her into the wall again. "I wanna touch you," she whispered.

He grinned into their embrace, diving for her ear. "Good thing I bribed my kwami into modifying the suit, then."

"Wait, what?"

His Cheshire grin widened even more. "Pull on the bell, Bug."

Her curiosity piqued (and fueled by a desire quickly threatening to consume her), Ladybug obliged, wrapping her slender fingers around the bell and pulling it down in a swift, smooth motion. Amazed, she saw the suit come undone under her hands, coaxing it open as she revealed patches of skin that she had yet to discover, to taste.

Her arms moved around his waist of their own accord, pressing his body even closer to hers, flipping them hungrily so that he was the one against the wall now. Her nails dragged a lazy but pleasurable path down his back under the fabric of the suit, caressing the tantalizing skin bared for her for the very first time. Her lips abandoned his, running along the firm line of his jaw, dipping down his neck and venturing onto the uncharted territory of his chest.

The sound that escaped Chat Noir's throat the second her tongue found his nipple was positively sinful.

She toyed with the sensitive bud for a moment, relishing in the delicious moans and gasps uncontrollably pouring out of her kitty's mouth. She nipped and licked at the pink patch of flesh as her hand pushed the dark suit off his shoulders, baring even more skin for her to explore.

The black leather pooled low on his hips, leaving his entire torso and arms as an ocean of uncharted skin for her to discover. Ladybug slowly moved on from his nipple, leaving a trail of kisses and kitten licks down his chest and onto his abdomen, carefully exploring every single inch of skin he had been kind enough to bare for her selfish pleasure.

Her fingers dug into his hip bone lightly as her teeth graze on the tender skin of his navel, and Chat Noir keened under her touch, his hips unwillingly buckling toward her. With a soft chuckle, Ladybug brought her hand to cup the obvious bulge in his suit. "Eager, kitty?"

"You're going to be the end of me," he breathed, almost dissolving under the delicious pressure of her fingers.

She grinned at him, her eyes sultry and her lips positively sinful. "That's kinda the idea, Chaton."

Breathing heavily, Chat Noir whispered softly, "I have something for you, Lovebug."

"Oh, do you?"

He smiled, trying to ignore how good her fingers felt on his member, how bothered her breath on his stomach was making him. "I… I didn't come unprepared."

Chat Noir pulled away from her touch for a second, only long enough to allow himself to take a long strip of fabric from his belt. "I figured you wouldn't have thought about talking to your kwami, so I brought a mask along."

"...a mask."

She wished her tone would've come across as disbelieving, but in the state she currently was, even she could hear the blatant desire showing through her words.

So, when he gently ordered her to turn around, she didn't dare to object. She turned her back to him, allowing him to tie an unknown stripe of velvety fabric above her eyes. Eye-holes had conveniently been pierced through the red fabric, and Ladybug found her heartbeat kicking up a notch at the prospect of soon being naked, vulnerable and _available_ for him.

The makeshift mask in place, Chat Noir hoarsely whispered in her ear, "Spots off, my Lady."

She hastily complied, desire coiled tight in her stomach. A bright flash of pink engulfed her, and magical spandex disappeared under his fingers, only to be replaced by the soft cotton of her pajamas.

Weeks of pent-up desire blurred Chat Noir's mind, and his finally leather-free hands instantly found the bare patches of skin between the hem of her Jagged Stone t-shirt and the band of her shorts.

One of his hands found her breast, and he gasped lightly behind her at the sensation of her hardening nipple under his fingers. "N-no bra?"

She laughed, arching her back under his touch, pressing her chest into his hand. "The…" she breathed, "the akuma _conveniently_ struck as I was getting ready for _bed_."

Weeks of dancing around each other, of pushing the limits of their suits further and further after each akuma, had made them desperate, hungry for each other, and right that second, Chat Noir had enough.

He growled.

"Stop teasing me, mean woman."

His free hand slipped under the band of her shorts, trying (and failing) to ignore the delicious pressure from the feeling of her ass pressing back against his hips. She didn't notice, though, lost in the feeling of his lips pressed on her shoulders, on the nape of her neck, of his finger gliding into her folds, enticing a throaty whine from her.

He pushed a digit inside her, tantalizingly slowly, and smirked against the skin of her shoulder. "W-what are you doing?" she gasped, pressing herself against him, her hand landing on his own still buried between her legs, desperately seeking a pressure he was refusing to give her.

"Making you _want_ me."

"Oh Chaton," she moaned softly as he added a second finger to the first, "I _already_ want you."

That lit a brand new fire within Chat Noir. He turned her around, crashing his lips on hers, hard. "Don't say things like that if you don't _mean_ them. You're going to—"

"But what if I _do_?" she smiled against his lips. A low growl rumbled in Chat Noir's chest, and he kissed her again, hungrily, crouching on the rooftop and bringing her down along with him. She tumbled backwards, sitting on the shingles, and he was between her legs in a flash, seeking her lips again.

Somewhere along the next kiss, her shorts were removed from her slender legs, which she wrapped around his waist as he made quick work of her t-shirt. His lips latched onto her nipple, licking and sucking relentlessly under Ladybug's soft mewls of pleasure. "C-Chat!"

"Sweet revenge, my lady," he chuckled against the skin of her breast, and his hands found her panties, pulling them off her body. He dove back, burying his fingers into her wetness, spreading the evidence of her arousal around.

Never even in her darkest fantasies, Ladybug had imagined her first time to be on a random rooftop, dissolving into a hot mess of moans and gasps within her partner's embrace. And yet, now that she was there, lying on her back on the concrete of the roof with him kneeling between her thighs, she wouldn't have it any other way.

She trusted him, trusted him blindly with her very life, with her safety at any given time, and right this second, she trusted him entirely with her body, with her pleasure.

She might even love him, if she was completely honest with herself, but those were musings for another time. Right now, all she wanted to do was focus entirely on her partner and the amazing sensations he awakened in her as he brought her closer and closer to the edge.

She pushed the leather suit further down his hips and pressed the square package he had deposited on the ground beside them when he had laid her down into his hand. He gulped, the reality of what they were doing crashing down on him all at once, but he nodded, rolling the condom on his length quickly before kneeling back between her legs, pressing a suddenly timid kiss on her lips.

His fingers cupped her cheek softly, contrasting starkly with the wild passion of their previous ministrations, his eyes boring into hers, looking for answers, for reassurance. She smiled, leaning in for a kiss sweeter, softer than any they had exchanged by that point. "I want this, Chaton. I want you."

This was all the confirmation he needed.

Chat Noir guided his hips forward carefully, his eyes never leaving hers, waiting for any sign of hurt or discomfort on her part. When the only sound that escaped her lips was a soft moan, her fingers tugging a little tighter at his blond locks, he understood that was his cue to move and he pressed forward, entering her slowly.

A groan of pleasure dropped from his lips as he buried himself into her hot, wet core, overwhelmed and dizzied by the delightful feeling of her. She was everywhere, everything, sizzling and exquisite around his manhood, delicious under his lips, passionate within his arms.

Once he was fully inside her, he paused for a moment, letting her adjust to the foreign feeling. "Is this okay?" he rasped, resting his forehead against hers.

She beamed at him, hunting his lips for a short peck. "More than okay," she whimpered into the kiss, "y-you feel so good, kitty."

He didn't need any more encouragement. Kissing her fiercely, he slowly pulled back, easing back in again, and lost himself in an ocean of new sensations.

Her hands left his hair, sliding down his sides, caressing his hips, his ass, never leaving his skin. He held onto her firmly, his right arm kept most of his weight off her, his other hand cradled her head gently as he fell into an easy rhythm, his hips meeting with hers again and again, tearing moans and gasps from each other.

Pleasure washed over them both as they lost themselves in each other. Chat Noir shifted his weight onto the arm that cradled her head, sliding his other down between their burning skin, he found her sensitive bud and toyed with it experimentally.

She bucked her hips against him, moans and soft cries spilling uncontrollably from her mouth as she clung to him, fingers digging into his shoulders as he thrust into her with more urgency, his knuckle still rubbing against her clitoris.

Her eyes snapped shut and her back arched against him, a long moan ripping from her throat. He felt her walls clench around his length, and his hips bucked wildly as his head fell into the crook of her neck, whispering hoarsely, "My Lady, my Lady, my Lady."

He followed her, tipping over the edge of white hot oblivion along with her, their bodies nothing more than a tangled mess of limbs, her breath burning in his ear as she dissolved into pure bliss under his touch.

Chat Noir keened, letting his body fall over her gently, still aware enough of his surroundings to roll on his side, pulling her to his chest in the motion. She sighed contentedly, laying her head on his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around her, trying to will his furiously beating heart to slow down.

"Chat?"

He almost didn't hear her over the sound of his blood pounding in his ears. But he did, and he forced himself to answer. "Mmhmm?"

"I… I'm glad it was you."

He chuckled softly, pressing a tender kiss on the crown of her head, "I am glad it was you too, my Lady."


	19. Chapter 19: Snap Chat

_EdenDaphne's birthday gift_

 _Originally posted in July 2017_

* * *

Chat Noir was currently an interesting shade of red.

A shade that, up until that day, was still unknown to the human species.

In the seat in front of him, Alya gasped loudly, stammering a half-hearted apology, the shame she put in her words not quite reaching her eyes.

The hero face-palmed, his cheeks burning hot, and groaned miserably, "Not _again._ "

It had started the day before, when Alya had chased Chat Noir and Ladybug down the street after a really nasty akuma fight where his lady had had to use her lucky charm early in the encounter. She was on a timer and had less than a minute before turning back in a pumpkin (granted, the prettiest pumpkin of all France, if not the world, but still not exactly the best plan when you're trying to keep a secret identity).

Taking her panicked expression in, Chat Noir had instantly picked up on her predicament and had urged her away, insisting that he'd hold the young and stubborn reporter back. (All while cursing Nino for not being able of keeping his suicidal girlfriend away from danger.)

Which Alya hadn't appreciated.

At all.

She had been on the cusp of snapping a close-up picture of the superheroic duo, only to have it taken away from her by a mangy cat that had decided to stop her to talk about the _weather_ , no less, conveniently letting Ladybug slip away from her sight.

"Chat!" she had whined, frustrated, "I wanted a picture of **_both_** of you! The last one is weeks old already! Why did you let her go?"

Chat Noir had huffed, a playful smile grazing his lips, "Oops?"

A flash of pink had caught the corner of his eye at that precise second, and he had reacted on instinct, wanting more than anything to avoid Alya seeing it too. So he had surged forward, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulders and had walked her away, as far as he could from the faceless girl behind the polka-dot mask.

"You know what?" he had said, trying to sound cool and relaxed instead of the tensed mess he truly was from the thought that in an alleyway not even twenty feet from him stood his partner, entirely relying on him to protect her identity. From Alya, _and_ from himself. "To make amends, how about an exclusive interview with yours truly? Not a rushed thing in the aftermaths of an akuma, a real interview, where we take the time to sit down and chat."

If Alya had found the change of heart sudden, she didn't mention it.

That's how Chat Noir found himself sitting on a park bench at the Trocadero beside Alya the next day, silently cursing his lack of foresight. He was painfully aware of the camera recording every single of his moves and of the _hungry_ smirk on his friend's face.

Alya Césaire wanted a scoop, and it was crystal clear that she'd stop at nothing to get one.

Her first round of questions was pretty tame, considering who was asking. Things about the magic, which he politely refused to answer for obvious safety reasons, things about his civilian life, which he eluded like he could, things about his superheroic life, which he was more than eager to answer given this was all public knowledge.

He should have known Alya was trying to lull him into a false sense of comfort.

Because when he started to relax and stopped second guessing every single of her words, she dropped _the_ bomb on him, "And how does it feel to be Paris's favorite woman's boyfriend?"

His eyes widened, his throat went dry and his heart skipped a beat.

She hadn't dared…?

The way she looked at him expectantly told him that yes, she had dared. The question was now out in the open, and it was up to him to publicly humiliate himself by setting the record straight and admit his loudly proclaimed love was unrequited…

Or provoke Ladybug's wrath by deciding to roll with it.

Chat Noir was many things. He was reckless, goofy, acted before thinking much too many times for his own well-being.

But suicidal he was not.

So he painfully gulped, his signature smirk long gone, "I—um, this is to say, my Lady and I are close friends and partners, but that's about it."

"Oh?" Alya said, her curiosity piqued, "and why is that? All of Paris thought you guys were a thing!"

"We're not," he answered a little bit harshly, and Alya seemed to get the memo.

Squirming uncomfortably beside him, her interview obviously not taking the path she would've like. She scrapped a few sheets of paper on her questions list before asking, somewhat regaining her confidence and composure, "We already know that the mask is glued to your skin, thanks to Lady Wifi, but what about the rest of your suit? For instance, what happens if I tug on this?"

Looking back, the curious expression on Alya's face along with the way her fingers reached for his bell should've warned him about what was going to happen next.

But Chat Noir was still sour about the comments about his relationship with Ladybug and didn't see Alya's fingers wrapping themselves snuggly around the golden ornament until it was too late.

She pulled, eyes widening when the zipper effectively went down, fully functional.

Startled, Chat Noir bolted backwards on the bench, trying to put distance between himself and the offending hand.

Alya, however, did not let go of the bell in time.

The zipper went all the way down as a result, Chat Noir letting out a loud yelp as his entire chest down to his navel, ended up exposed for all Paris to see.

Hence why the fiery blush that was currently burning his face up, while Alya ogled him with not that much subtlety.

Trying to suppress the embarrassment eating him alive, the hero hastily pulled the bell back up, hoping to maintain a minimum of composure and knowing fairly well that his partner would tease him endlessly for that mishap.

He might've succeeded, if Alya hadn't blurted out disbelievingly at that precise second, "Wait, was that an _eight-pack_?"


	20. Chapter 20: Paws in a Pod

_When Marinette finds herself humiliated at the birthday party of her childhood enemy a stray cat comes to the rescue of the lonely princess._

 _Raydara's Birthday Gift from Maerynn and Lucky_

 _Originally posted in September 2017_

* * *

Marinette bowed her head down as she watched her tears splatter on the ground.

She should've known.

Chloe had never been kind to her, why in the world had she thought things would be different this time? When she had been handed the pretty invitation at school, Marinette had been beyond elated. Should've known better.

Chloe Bourgeois' birthdays were always the event of the year. Her father, the mayor, always made sure of that. For her very first birthday, he had hired people dressed as princesses and princes to entertain his daughter for the day. For her second birthday, the entire hotel had been decorated with a candyland vibe. Paris' zoo had been rented out for her third birthday. _Unicorns_ had been the guests of honor to her fourth birthday. Fifth one? Mermaids. Sixth? Her father had rented the entire movie theater for her and her friends.

For each and every of those luxury and obnoxious birthday parties, Marinette had watched from afar. Had heard about them at school, seen the pictures in the newspaper, watched it from her balcony. Chloe always had a very extensive guest list, one that _always_ excluded the bakers' daughter.

But not this year.

Chloe's seventh birthday party had been the talk of the town for the past week or so. The park across from Marinette's home had been turned into a huge fair, complete with roller coasters, bumper cars, food stands and all the usual. Marinette had tried to keep her hopes down, knowing perfectly well that there was not a chance that she would get to enjoy the festivities.

Up until Chloe had handed her the colorful envelope, smirking. "Don't forget to wear a costume. And try to look nice, for a change."

And Marinette had tried. Really hard. Had begged her parents to buy her the beautiful princess dress she had had her eyes set on for months. Had crafted herself a pretty crown out of cardboard and plastic jewels. Had asked her mother for a little bit of lipstick. She had thought she was beautiful. A real princess.

Up until she had encountered Chloe.

The birthday girl was wearing a magnificent princess dress with golden embroideries. A gold crown was carefully tucked into the blonde hair, and Marinette was pretty sure that Chloe's shoes were made of gold. With a smirk, she had eyed Marinette from head to toe, snickering loudly, "Where did you find this dress, Marinette? In the garbage? Cause it sure looks like it."

The little clique following Chloe had laughed at her words, making fun of the bakers' daughter. Before turning her back on the other girl, Chloe had added with a huff, "Face it, Dupain-Cheng. Nobody wants you around and I invited you here only so compared to you I would look magnificent."

That's why she was there, sitting on a park bench all by herself, hugging her knees as she cried her heart out.

She didn't have much time to dwell on her sorrows though, because a young boy about the same age as her approached her, smiling at her kindly. He was dressed in a black leather cat suit, complete with tail and cat ears. Oddly enough, he was wearing a domino mask that enhanced his sparkling green eyes under his wild mop of blond hair.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting beside her, "why are you crying all by yourself? You should be having fun, it's a party!"

Marinette sniffled loudly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Nobody wants to play with me."

He grinned, a boyish smile that was contagious. "I do! Wanna ride the bumper cars? I bet I can do more laps than you!"

She hesitated for a second, but in the end she took the hand he was offering her. After all, nothing could be worse than sitting all by herself on park bench while everybody else was having fun, right?

Marinette ended up doing way more laps than the boy, but only because he was more focused on trying to bump her than doing actual laps. The sound of their joyful laughter was still echoing in their ears as they walked away from the bumper cars arm in arm, playfully bantering about their next destination.

In the waiting line for the roller coaster, Marinette and the boy were casually chatting, sharing small bits of their lives with each other.

"I can't believe you live in a bakery!" he said, eyes sparkling with envy. "It must be so cool, getting all the sweets you want all the time!"

Marinette giggled, playfully nudging him. "Too much sweets are bad for your teeth, didn't your mama and papa tell you that?"

He looked away, his shoulders slumping. "My… my mommy is gone, and Father works a lot."

She pulled him into a hug, making him laugh awkwardly into her arms. She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't make fun of me. You looked sad."

The line moved forward, and he chuckled softly. "You're funny, princess."

"If you keep calling me princess, I'm gonna call you kitty."

Before he could react in any way, their turn to climb aboard the roller coaster came, and the boyish grin on his face vanished. Marinette eyed him curiously as they waited for the ride to begin, "Are you scared?"

"No, not at all," he protested, but as soon as the wagon moved forward he tensed beside her, prompting an eerie laugh from her. She got to laugh all ride long, seeing how her new friend was clinging to the bar of the wagon for dear life.

The ride finally came to a stop, much to the boy's relief, and the odd pair ventured further into the fair, laughing and chatting. He talked about video games, telling her about the best he had ever tried, and she talked about the pretty dresses she had drawn for her dolls. He wanted to be an astronaut when he was older, her heart constantly wavered between becoming a ballerina or a firefighter.

He cheered her on as she attempted a game of ring toss, winning a bear-crossing sign that she contemplated with a dejected sigh that didn't went unnoticed by her brand new friend. "You don't like it?"

Marinette sighed, her eyes wandering to the plushes hung above the stand. "I wanted a plushie."

He grinned at her, spotting another stand where you had to shoot into a clown's mouth with a water gun to win. "I'll tell you what, I'll win a plushie and trade it with yours, okay?"

Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, looking at him full of expectations. "Would you really?"

"Just watch me, princess," he answered cheekily, puffing his chest out proudly while he marched toward the stand. For a second, Marinette doubted that he could uphold his end of the bargain, but barely even ten minutes later he was holding a giant cat pillow out to her. "Here! Now give me my bear sign please!"

Marinette hugged the huge plush to her heart, happily surrendering the panel. Both children made their way toward the ferris wheel, holding their prizes like some kind of treasure. As they rode the illuminated wheel, she happily pointed all of her favorite spots in Paris to him. "What do you mean, you're a Parisian and you've never climbed into the Eiffel Tower?" she asked disbelievingly after her friend's reluctant admittance.

He shrugged, his eyes still drinking the scenery in front of them. "I don't get to have fun often, Father doesn't like it."

Marinette stared at him at the ferris wheel brought them back to level ground, unable to believe what her ears were hearing. Remembering how kind the boy had been to her when he had found her crying on that bench, she decided that she had to remedy that.

He helped her down from the ride, holding her plush out for her. "Where are we going now, princess?"

"Have you ever tasted cotton candy?"

His entire face lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Oh, is that the fluffy pink stuff you see in movies? I never had any."

"Off to the cotton candy stand we go then!"

Marinette ended up buying a huge cone for them to share, watching with intrigue for his reaction as her new friend took a big bite out of it and squealing in delight when his eyes lit up with joy at the discovery. They ate their treat happily while walking through the fair, talking about their favorite Disney movies and bickering about who was the best villain between Ursula and Hadès.

The day eventually came to an end, and the sun began to set on Paris.

The boy walked Marinette to the edge of the park near her house, balancing her cat plush on his shoulders.

"I had fun today," she sighed, "but I gotta go home. Mama and Papa will worry."

He pouted, mimicking keeping the cat pillow hostage. "Aww, will I see you again?"

Marinette giggled, holding her arms out to receive the toy. He surrendered it, smiling at her playfully. "You're the best of friends, kitty," she said, pressing her lips on his cheek for a quick peck.

That night, two flustered kids went back home with their heads full of happy memories and their heart full of a brand new friendship.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, Chloe was piercing everyone's ears with her high-pitched screams demanding where Adrien Agreste was and why he wasn't by her side like he was supposed to. She kept loudly whining to her father about the unusual absence of her childhood friend, whom she had been expected to come and be her prince for the day.

He never showed up.


	21. Chapter 21: Ten Months

_It had been ten months._  
 _Ten months since Adrien had boarded that plane after a really nasty fight with her._  
 _Ten months without getting a reply to his apology text message. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I love you, can't wait for this trip to be over."_  
 _Ten months without hearing the sound of his wife's voice._

 _Lucky's Birthday Gift from Maerynn and Raydara_

 _Originally posted in September 2017_

* * *

Adrien shifted in his seat, nerves slowly getting the best of him. He could hear the secretary speaking in a lowered voice on the other side of the door, and a muffled whisper answering her. Another voice he could recognize within millions, another voice he had never thought he'd get to hear again.

His wife's voice.

It had been ten months.

Ten months since he had boarded that plane after a really nasty fight with her. Ten months without getting a reply to his apology text message. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I love you, can't wait for this trip to be over."

A week later, he had called her best friend, the unusual lack of response worrying him to no end. Sure, it wasn't unheard from her to space out for a few days whenever she got involved too deeply in a project, but an entire week? Something must have had happened to her.

He would never forget the moment Alya had called him back, sobbing uncontrollably and repeating over and over again, "She's gone, Adrien, gone!"

He had jumped onto the first available plane heading to Paris, and had rushed home, only to confirm the horrible truth: Marinette was nowhere to be found, her closets were empty. On the kitchen table, in plain sight, she had left her phone, her wallet, divorce papers signed by her hand and a note. A little square of paper, bearing the last words his wife ever addressed to him. "I'm sorry. I'm safe, please don't search for me."

The following weeks were still a blur in his mind. He had devoted every single waking hour to his desperate search for her.

His father had tried to stop him, to fill his head with lies and schemes he refused to believe. Credit cards statements bearing hotel rooms charges, pictures of Marinette smiling warmly at another man, evidence that she had been spotted without wearing her wedding band, Gabriel Agreste had stopped at nothing to try and convince his son that his runaway wife was a lying cheater.

And that he needed to sign the divorce papers.

But Adrien stubbornly refused. He couldn't bring himself to finalize the procedures, to draw the final line on a ten-year-long love story without having some answers first. Was she okay? Did she need anything? Why had she left all her friends and family behind? Even if she really had an affair, it was so unlike Marinette to run away like that, to abandon everything she ever held dear without fighting for it.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And so, Adrien searched.

Frantically. Desperately. He hired the best people he could to track her whereabouts, to rake all of France for her.

When it became obvious that she wasn't in French territory anymore, he widened the span of his search. No matter where Marinette was, he would find her. There was not another option in his mind. He couldn't bear thinking otherwise.

It took him a little over ten months.

A little over ten months, and a chance encounter on Internet with a little Australian boutique, _Coccinelle's Designs_. According to the website, the boutique belonged to a woman named Emma Zhào, but Marinette's familiar style was written all over those clothes, clear as day.

He had found her.

He had no proof except what his gut was telling him, but by that point he was getting desperate.

The next morning he was boarding a plane to Australia.

Which brought him there, sitting outside some unknown office, hearing a voice he had longed for during ten long months through the door. "I can't see him right now, Casey, if that man wanted to see me that bad, he should have booked an appointment beforehand."

This was more than he could take. Adrien got up, fists balled by his side, and marched right through the office's door. "The last time I checked, Marinette, I didn't need an appointment to meet with my wife. Or should I call you Emma? Did you really think I would give up on you that easily?"

Marinette's face blanched, and Adrien got a good look at his wife. She had lost weight, pounds she didn't even have to spare to begin with. Her eyes were rimmed by dark bags, her lips chapped from being bitten too much. What had her in that exhausted, over-stressed state, he didn't have a clue, but he could only guess that abandoning her entire life behind her probably had taken its toll on her.

She raised to her feet, staring at him coldly. "Adrien, please go back to Paris and never try to contact me again."

"You're my wife!" he yelled, ten months of worries, of frustrations, of unanswered questions unraveling in front of her.

She tensed, her nails digging into the palm of her hands. "Not anymore, Adrien. I signed divorce papers."

"I didn't," he spat angrily. "I won't let you throw away the life we spent ten years building together without even giving me a reason, Marinette."

"You want a reason?" Tears were running down her cheeks, but she didn't seem to care the slightest. "I don't love you anymore, Adrien. That ten-year-old life you were talking about? I don't want that anymore."

Adrien didn't have time to answer before a side door slid open, a young woman entering the room with an obviously upset little infant cradled in her arms. "I'm really, really sorry for interrupting, Mlle Zhào, but I've tried everything and Louis just won't stop crying."

Marinette visibly deflated, holding her arms out for the baby, who calmed considerably the second he was held against her chest. What little doubt was left in his mind was swept away the second Marinette unclasped what appeared to be a nursing bra and brought the infant to her breast. The baby happily latched onto it, and Marinette lifted worried eyes toward Adrien's face.

He watched for a few seconds, bemused, as his wife ( _his WIFE)_ nursed the little boy, before asking the words that were burning his lips, "How… How old is he?"

"He just turned three months," she answered in a whisper.

Blood drained from Adrien's face, and his brain stopped processing informations. "So that's it then? You really cheated on me?"

Her eyes widened, but resolve quickly washed it away as she pulled the infant closer to her. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"Whose baby is this, Marinette? At least tell me who I lost my wife to. Can you grant me that closure? Is _that_ asking too much of you?"

In that instant, Marinette looked like a trapped animal. With her son still feeding, there was no way she could escape the room, and they both knew it. She averted her gaze from his, lowering the beautiful blue eyes he had never thought he'd see again on her baby. "I… He's not around, anymore, Adrien. It's only Louis and I."

Her story was falling apart, was bursting at the seams. The Marinette he knew, the one Tom Dupain had walked up the aisle five years prior, she was a fighter. She was the bravest woman he knew, not the kind to fall for the pretty words of someone who would knock her up and abandon her.

He gulped, forcing himself to remain calm despite the burning desire to demand immediate answers from her, by any means necessary. "If his father abandoned you, Marinette, why won't you come back to Paris with me? I'll adopt him and give him the Agreste surname, and not a single thing has to change. We still can be happy."

She gasped loudly, her hand clutching Louis against her breast, who protested vehemently at the sudden movement. She didn't seem to notice, staring at Adrien with wide, horrified eyes. "No. No. Never. Never Paris again. Adrien, you have to leave. Please. For both of our sakes, please never contact me again, and forget about us. Please."

He dropped to his knees, grabbing her free hand. "Marinette. I spent the last ten months searching for you. I'm willing to do anything for you. I don't care that you made a mistake, I'll raise your son like mine and he'll never lack anything. I love you, Marinette, I've loved you for a decade, and I know that I can love your child, that he can be ours. Just say the words."

Adrien knew the exact second his words cut through her defenses. A dam broke inside her, and hot tears spilled on her cheeks as she hiccupped through violent sobs. Louis voiced his disapproval rather loudly, and Adrien instinctively reached forward to take him from her arms.

"He already has your eyes," Marinette managed to say in between sobs, taking him aback.

Confused, his gaze went from the curious little boy staring at him in his arms to the woman he loved. "Wh-what did you say just now?"

She took a deep breath and stood up, facing him but keeping her eyes on the baby. "Louis. He has your eyes."

"Are… are you really saying that…"

Marinette smiled tentatively, lovingly pushing a thin lock of blond hair out of the infant's forehead. "He's your son, Adrien. I'm-"

She couldn't finish her sentence, seeing as Adrien pulled her into a bone crushing hug, resting his forehead on hers as he carefully kept Louis out of the way. Tears ran down his cheeks as he whispered, clinging to his wife, "Why, Marinette?"

"You won't believe me if I tell you." She tried to back out from his embrace, but ten months of longing had made him craving for her touch. He tightened his hold on her, unable to tear his gaze away from the little boy looking at him with big, curious green eyes.

What could have possibly driven his wife away from him if the baby was his? "Try me," he said, unable to imagine anything horrible to warrant such drastic lengths.

Marinette tensed within his arms. "But, your father…"

"Marinette, it's okay, I know very well what my father is capable of."

She let out a long sigh, but rested her head on his shoulder. "He threatened me. And our baby."

It felt like he had opened the floodgates. She told him everything.

About how the night after their big fight, she had come home from work to find Gabriel Agreste seating at their dining table, a thick folder of forged evidences of her alleged affair in front of him.

"You are to get out of my son's life and never return."

She had scoffed, hanging her keys on a nearby hook. "We've been married for five years, Mr. Agreste. It might be time to accept it."

Gabriel had stood up, walking up to her in that slow, leisurely pace that had always crept her up. "Wouldn't it be unfortunate, Mlle Dupain-Cheng, if something was to happen to that unborn child?"

Taken aback, Marinette had stumbled backwards, draping a protective hand over her still-flat stomach. "H-How? No-no one knows yet, not even Adrien! I-"

"I have my ways. Now let me make myself very clear, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. Step aside from Adrien's life and stop distracting him from his family duty. I'll have the divorce papers sent to you first thing tomorrow, and as long as Adrien never sees your pretty face again, you and your child both will be safe. The choice is yours."

"Adrien will search for me, he'll ask for answers," Marinette had tried to argue, "He won't accept my disappearance that easily. What keeps me from telling him about your threats?"

Gabriel had laughed at that, a laugh that had made her blood curdled in her veins. "Who do you think he'll believe in the end? The woman who used his name to climb her way through the fashion industry and is now trying to tear what's left of his family apart, or the man who had raised him to the level he's now?"

For the first time of her life understanding the exact extent of Gabriel's hatred toward her, of his madness, Marinette had feared for her life.

For their baby's life.

So she had obeyed, had packed her suitcases without saying goodbye to anyone she knew or love, and had boarded the first and furthest flight she could find.

It had been hard. Adjusting to a new life, in a foreign country, without a past or a name to rely on, it had proved to be tricky. But the slowly growing bulge under her shirt had provided her with enough motivation to pull through.

She had opened an online boutique, which had taken off nicely in a country where her designs were considered exotic and innovative. The pregnancy soon had made things too hard for her to manage things on her own, and she had taken an associate to help her open a boutique.

Adrien held her tight as she told him her story, not daring to interrupt her.

Once she was done, he took a good look at his son ( _his son_ ), and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. "Get me three plane tickets to Paris, and a fresh team of bodyguards to welcome me and my wife at the airport. Run thorough background checks on everyone, I want every employee above suspicion. I want guards at home too, 24h/7."

"What was all that about, Adrien?"

"I'm reclaiming what was stolen from us."

* * *

Agreste men angers were famous.

Famously scary, and something to avoid at all cost.

So when Adrien Agreste marched into his father's office right in the middle of a board meeting, it wasn't hard to guess that he was _way beyond_ pissed _._

The older man raised startled eyes toward his son, frowning at the unexpected display of rebellion. "Adrien, what-"

His usually composed and docile golden child snapped, years of neglect and overbearingness crashing down on him all at once. " ** _You_** listen to me, for a change," Adrien snarled, slamming his fists down on his father's desk. "We are done. I'm taking the next flight to Australia, and I am _never_ coming back. You've just lost what was left of your family, _father._ "

Gabriel stood up, anger flaring behind the cold gray eyes. "Adrien, please leave this room right this second. We'll talk about this nonsense of yours once I come home and you've had time to come to your senses."

But Adrien wasn't listening. Pure hatred dripped from each of his words as he answered, oblivious to the men surrounding them, drinking his words like the gossip vultures they were. "It's over, _father._ You've gambled more than you could take. What you took from me? There's no price tag to this, no way to ever replace that. You took from me nine months of expecting my baby, of shopping for baby supplies with my wife, the birth of my son, three months of his life. There's no way you could ever make up for this."

"Adrien, wait-"

Adrien straightened up, shooting a fond smile to the lady standing on the threshold, a baby boy cradled in her arms. "I'm done waiting, father. I've roamed the entire world for Marinette for ten long months. I belong with her, wether you like it or not."

About to leave the room, the young man turned around and stated, smirking, "by the way, I sold my shares in Agreste. So you now only hold thirty percents of it. Have a nice day."

* * *

A familiar chime resonated in Marinette's office, and she forced herself away from the design that was driving her crazy to look at her phone. There, displayed on the little screen, was a picture of Adrien and Louis at the local park near their apartment, both of them grinning from ear to ear.

" _Father/son bonding moment under Sydney's sun!"_ read the caption, and promptly put a fond smile on Marinette's lips. Any worries that she might have had about Louis adjusting to the sudden presence of a man in his life had promptly been swept away by the sheer amount of devotion Adrien was showing toward their baby boy.

Her phone chimed again in her palm, displaying another photo of Louis tucked into his stroller, looking at the mobile she had made him with stars in his eyes. " _On our way to pick Mommy up for lunch. See you soon my love xx."_

She glanced at the hour, and then looked at the designs sprawled out on her work table. Within seconds, her decision was made. She grabbed her purse and got up, calling out in the boutique, "Casey?"

The young woman peeked her head through the door, looking at her colleague quizzically, "Yes, Em- erm, I mean, Marinette?"

Marinette giggled softly, "I'm sorry, this is going to take some time getting used to, isn't it?"

Casey smiled. "It's alright, I don't mind. If it means seeing you this happy, I can manage calling you by your real name."

"Anyway," Marinette resumed, unable to keep the blush from her cheeks, "I'm taking the afternoon off. Feel free to do the same."

"Oh, do you have a hot date planned for tonight?" the younger girl teased as she walked her to the front door. From where they were standing, Marinette could see the familiar figure of her husband against the horizon line, pushing the stroller toward the boutique.

"I do," she answered, "with the loves of my life. Have a nice evening, Casey."

The boutique door closed behind her as she walked into the street, her eyes never leaving the lean figure coming toward her in a leisurely pace. The broad shoulders, the halo of golden blond hair, the turquoise shirt flattering his body, everything in this man was attracting her like a siren's song.

A radiant smile lit up his face as soon as he saw her, and Marinette suddenly felt like she was fifteen again. She broke into a sprint, slamming herself against his toned chest as he wrapped a strong arm around her back, still holding the stroller with his free hand.

"Hey there," he greeted, his breath tickling the crown of her head.

She looked up, saw the immensity of his love in the familiar green eyes, and couldn't help but think as she pressed her lips to his, _"My life is perfect."_

* * *

Marinette sighed, the sensation of Adrien's lips on her throat driving her crazy.

"Adrien…" she half-moaned, her fingers tangling themselves into the blond mane.

He smirked against her porcelain skin. "What is it, my lady?" His fingers found the hem of her shorts, gently pulling them down her long legs. She gasped as his lips pressed feather-like kisses on her thighs, on her hip, on her bare abdomen.

Adrien caressed her side, his hands playing with the edges of her panties as he whispered in her ear, "Your parents arrive tomorrow morning with Alya and Nino, and then I'll have to share you for an entire month. Can I be a little selfish tonight and keep you all to myself?"

Right on cue, Louis' cries echoed through the baby monitor, and Adrien sprung out of the bed, pulling his pants back up in a hurry. Marinette chuckled as she sat back up, watching her husband lovingly, "I could get him, you know?"

"Nonsense. I have three months of diapers and wake-up calls to make up for, princess. Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to change him and bring him to you."

Minutes later, when Adrien handed her a freshly changed Louis and helped him latch onto her breast, seemingly not the slightest fazed that their son had interrupted what could have been a steamy evening, Marinette knew.

She never wanted to be without him again.

There, in the darkness of their bedroom, with Louis happily feeding and Adrien sitting beside them on the bed, gently stroking their son's hair as he hummed a lullaby, she finally felt complete again.


	22. Chapter 22: Bruised Hearts

_Soulmate AU where your scratches, bruises and wounds appear on your soulmate's skin instead of yours. What can go wrong?_

 _Lucky's Birthday Gift_

 _Originally posted in September 2017_

* * *

A wide, blueish bruise suddenly spread on Adrien's shoulder, tearing a frustrated groan from Claude's throat. He stepped from behind his camera, assessing the damages on the young man's skin. Shaking his head in resignation, the photographer sighed loudly, "Mr. Agreste, could you please ask your soulmate to be more careful? That's the fourth time this happens this week."

Adrien nodded with an absent smile and watched, mesmerized, as the bruise marred his skin and took darker shades. That one must have hurt a lot. Whoever his soulmate was, they certainly had a tendency to hurt themselves rather often. It was never huge injuries, majorly scratches and bruises, sometimes small burns, but the frequency at which they happened was becoming worrisome. "As soon as I find them, Claude. I'm gonna wrap them in bubble wrap."

"Make sure you do, that poor thing gets more bumps and scratches than an American footballer. Angela!" Claude suddenly called loudly, only to be answered by awkward silence. "Angela! Where is that mindless girl? ANGELA we need touch ups over here!"

Ignoring the commotion around him as assistants were trying to locate the missing makeup artist and resume the interrupted photoshoot, Adrien contemplated his new bruise, wondering yet again about his soulmate. What were they like? Did they have any siblings? Did they live in Paris, too? Were they happy, even without him by their side? What would their relationship be like once they'd find each other? Would they be platonic soulmates? Romantic? Would they get along right away, or would they have to grow comfortable with each other? Would it be love at first sight? Would his soulmate turn out to be someone he already know?

Adrien snorted at that last thought. There was no way someone close to him could hurt themselves that often without him noticing. Sure, he was aware that there were soulmates that unfortunately never met each other, but he refused to entertain the thought that he could be among them. Whoever his soulmate was, wherever they were, their paths would cross someday.

And they would fill the big, sore empty spot in his heart.

* * *

The inhuman shriek that left Chloe Bourgeois' lips had been loud enough to alert the entire team working on the women's line, prompting a curious crowd to rush into the studio like vultures to a dying animal. _Agreste'_ s lead female model was infamous for her ridiculous tantrums, and for getting away with anything she set her mind on, no matter how crazy her demands could be. She was Adrien Agreste's childhood friend, and wasn't afraid to play that card to get her way. The more lives she wrecked in her selfish path, the happier she was.

That's why, that morning, nobody was shocked to witness Chloe slapping her makeup artist across the shoulder with her purse, hard, making the poor girl yelp loudly in pain.

"Those were designer clothes! Unique designs!" Chloe shrieked, her blouse dripping with iced coffee. "Those were worth ten times your monthly salary! Who do you think you are, ruining such fine clothes? Where is Uncle Gabriel? I demand justice!"

"What is the matter here?"

Everything went still at once in the room. Standing on the threshold, his arms linked in his back in his usual manner, Gabriel Agreste landed a stern scowl on his team. Chloe regained her bearings first, scrambling to the fashion mogul with a one-sided familiarity. "Uncle Gabriel! This stupid girl ruined your clothes! It's unfair for someone as talented as I am to be stuck with such a useless twit. Can I get a _real_ makeup artist? Someone who will recognize my magnificent beauty, at last?"

Gabriel scoffed, and looked directly at Marinette. Her blood curdled in her veins and her breath went ragged. Gabriel Agreste's outbursts were infamous, and the last thing she wanted was to be on the receiving end of one. No one ever walked away from a fight with that man with their jobs untouched, and that frightened her to no end.

"Mlle Bourgeois is quite right, Mlle Dupain-Cheng. It is indeed unfair for someone so talented to be stalled working with someone so uncooperative as Mlle Bourgeois currently is."

Marinette gaped at her boss for a second, trying to assert the words that had been just said to her and make sense out of them. At a complete loss, she finally uttered, "but, M. Agreste, w-what…?"

Gabriel smirked knowingly, ignoring the mute scream coming from the mayor's daughter. "Hence why, effective immediately, you'll be assigned as my son's exclusive makeup artist."

"But, Mr. Agreste, I'm not sure I can-" Marinette could almost see daggers in Chloe's eyes, and not-so-subtle startled whispers were running through the witnessing crowd.

"Nonsense," Gabriel cut short. "It has been brought to my attention that you're by far the most qualified makeup artist on my staff. My son tends to get a lot of soulmate's bruises, and I need them to be hidden thoroughly for the photoshoots. Can you do that?"

"I-I… I mean, yes, but-"

"That settles it then. Adrien has a photo shoot scheduled here tomorrow at eight. My assistant will send you the details along with what your new position entails. Have a nice day, Mlle Dupain-Cheng."

Without another glance, Gabriel left the room, leaving a fuming Chloe and a stunned Marinette behind him.

* * *

" _Another_ bruise?" were the first words out of Nino's mouth upon seeing his best friend coming into the restaurant where they had agreed to meet.

Adrien laughed, looking at the rather large bruise spread on his forearm, "Yeah, that one just happened. Got another on the shoulder this morning, Claude was furious and my makeup artist was M.I.A. again. It was a huge mess."

"Have you ever thought that, maybe, your soulmate… erm…" Nino trailed off, clearly uncomfortable. Adrien picked up on what he was trying to word, and sighed heavily.

"If they come from a violent background?" he said, Nino visibly relaxing in front of him, "Yes, I have. Everyday. But strangely enough, every scratch and bump makes me feel like I'm closer to them, you know?"

As soon as the words left his lips, a paper cut appeared on his left index finger. Nino followed his gaze to the brand new wound and sighed loudly, "You know, I never thought I'd find someone more prone to light wounds than Alya's best friend, but your soulmate definitely takes the cake."

"Hey, we all can't be as lucky as you, Mr. I-Met-My-Soulmate-When-I-Was-Four."

Nino merely scoffed, picking up the menu. "You're only jealous Alya and I turned out to be romantic soulmates while yours is still a mystery."

"Maybe," Adrien smiled, "but I'm pretty damn sure they're worth the wait."

* * *

While Adrien and Nino were casually chatting, Nino's girlfriend, Alya, was having an interesting conversation of her own with her best friend.

"I don't know how I'm gonna pull this off, Al. I mean, he's the boss' son. It's gonna be Chloe Bitchy Bourgeois all over again, but with the added pressure of losing my job at the first mistake."

"But he's a sex-symbol," Alya teased, sparkles in her eyes. "Who knows, maybe he could free you from your two-year-long dry spell?"

Marinette's fork halted halfway to her mouth, and she stared at her best friend with incredulous eyes. "You're the one who taught me sleeping with your boss is a huge no-no, and my boss' son is just as bad a mistake. Nothing's gonna happen between us. If anything, he's gonna be even worse than Chloe."

"Oh, come on now, you can't really be thinking that way," Alya sighed as she pushed her plate of pastas toward her friend so she could pick out a shrimp. "Even if you're dating history is catastrophic, it doesn't mean that all men are the same."

Marinette shrugged, leaning back on her chair. "I tried, Alya, you know I did. What happened with Nate…"

"You're being unfair, Mari. Nate tried to make amends when Aurore and he turned out to be platonic soulmates. He really loves you, you know? He would do anything for a second chance."

A grimace graced Marinette's lips upon hearing those words. "I don't want to be anyone's second choice. Nate wanting me back because it didn't work out with Aurore stung, Alya. Badly."

"It still took some gut to admit he had made a mistake and missed you, you know."

A familiar frustration fired up into Marinette's veins. She was tired of that discourse, tired of people telling her that it didn't matter, that her ex-boyfriend had only made a mistake. That she should forgive him. They didn't understand. How could they? Alya had met her own soulmate when she was four, and she and Nino had been happily dating for a few years already.

And dating anyone else was off the table, not until she'd found her soulmate. Once she'd find them, if they turned out to be platonic, maybe she'd try dating again. But not before then. She didn't want to risk inflicting the kind of pain Nathanael had put her through on someone else. The hurt was still too fresh, the wound too great.

"It doesn't change anything," she sighed stubbornly. "He still chose his soulmate over me."

* * *

The next morning found Marinette grumpy and running low on caffeine. She had overslept, had dropped her car keys in a puddle, and she realized way too late to fix it that she was still sporting the messy bun she had slept in.

The dressing room's door opened, and a cheerful voice called, "Good morning!"

Marinette slowly turned around, barely able to repress a long, heavy sigh.

And knew instantly that she was totally, and utterly screwed.

Because Adrien Agreste was nothing short from worryingly handsome.

He had beautiful, kind green eyes that grazed upon her figure without lingering on any inappropriate locations. His blond mane was unkempt, sticking in every direction like someone who had likely just fallen out of bed.

He smiled at her warmly, holding out his hand with an eager expression. "Hi! I'm Adrien! So you're my new makeup artist?"

Suddenly, Marinette felt like she was on autopilot. Her hand grasped his on its own accord, and she was adamant that he could hear her heart thumping furiously in her chest.

How was it fair that a single human being held that much beauty?

"Hey, Marinette, right? Do you think you could hurry with the makeup, I have to fix Sunshine's legendary bedhead," a tall girl with purple streaks in her hair suddenly asked, scaring the life out of Marinette.

With a loud shriek, she spun around, blushing up to the roots of her hair. "Right. Makeup," she almost whispered to herself, her mind still slightly foggy from encounter with Adrien.

Unbeknownst to her, as she turned around, her complexion brush came in contact with her model's forehead, hard. The wrong end poked just beside Adrien's left eye, making Marinette's heart jump uncomfortably in her chest. "I'm so sorry!"

His laugh came as music to her ears. A laugh genuine and free, that made her breath hitch in her throat.

She was done for.

Trying to shake her thoughts clear, she laughed awkwardly and scrambled away, organizing her brushes uselessly. "Gosh, I'm so clumsy, I'm really sorry. Your soulmate will definitely have a mark after this one, poor them."

The noncommittal sound that answered her, and the way Adrien kept staring at her face after this went unnoticed by Marinette, and by the time she got home and walked in front of a mirror, the angry red spot right beside her left eye was long gone.

* * *

Marinette eventually regained her bearings and got used to work in close-quarters with the man that had found himself a cozy spot in her fantasies. She had become an expert at hiding the slight tremor of her fingers every time he called her "princess", or the way her heart skipped a beat whenever his skin brushed hers.

They grew into a comfortable relationship with each other, always chatting casually whenever they were within hearing range. Adrien always seemed to be a step ahead of her when they were in the same building, opening doors for her, breaking her numerous falls, catching the stuff she dropped. With him beside her, she felt safe, like he held the power of stopping her long string of bad luck.

She began to notice small things as weeks went by. How all the other models were glued to their phones all through the makeup and hair process while Adrien was always giving her his undivided attention, talking with her of everything and nothing. How he always seemingly noticed when she wore her hair differently, how he brought her a coffee on every early morning shoots.

Their steadily solidifying friendship took a drastic turn the morning Adrien came in late to a photoshoot with red puffy eyes and tear streaks on his cheeks. Without asking any questions, Marinette worked her magic, the remains of his sadness vanishing under her expert fingers. She later came to learn that it was his mother's death anniversary, and that he had arrived late to the photoshoot because he had visited the cemetery.

They became exponentially closer after that day, to the point where Marinette couldn't imagine a life without Adrien in it.

To the point where she dreaded the day he'd leave her for his soulmate, too.

* * *

The shill ringtone of her phone teared Marinette away from the pleasant dream she was having. Reluctantly leaving dream-Adrien's arms, she reached out for the offending object and answered sleepily, "Hello?"

"Marinette? It's Juleka. There's been a mishap, the photographer lost all the shots from yesterday, we have to do it all over. How soon can you come in?"

She glanced at the hour on her alarm clock and stammered, "Erm… I-I'll be there in twenty, give or take?"

"Perfect! See you!"

Considering the urgency in Juleka's tone, Marinette decided to forego putting on pants and makeup, instead simply tying her hair into a braid and throwing a hoodie over her tank top. This wouldn't be the first time she'd come into work wearing pajama pants, and certainly not the last either.

Out of breath, she burst through the dressing room's doors a few minutes later, announcing cheerily, "Ok, I'm here, where's my mo-"

The rest of her sentence died in her throat upon discovering the scene laid out before her eyes.

For, standing in front of her, was none other than Adrien Agreste, clad in pajamas of his own, smiling nervously next to a small table. Two plates with fresh croissants and fruits were waiting under the dim light of a candle, and the unmistakable aroma of coffee filled the air. "Adrien? Wh-where is everyone? What about the shoot?"

"Just a bait," he answered meekly, "to bring the princess to the ball. Are you mad?"

Marinette watched, speechless, as he walked toward her slowly, like a predator on his prey. Her heart skipped a few beats, and she looked at him with big, questioning eyes. "I don't understand."

"Marinette, would you go on a date with me?"

Memories of another encounter, another relationship that went down in flames, came back to her full fledge, and she sighed dejectedly. "I'm sorry Adrien, I can't… I don't want to start something knowing either of us can meet our soulmate any day, and destroy everything we've built. It would be unfair to both of us."

With a soft, comforting smile, Adrien took a needle on the table and pricked his fingers lightly. Marinette gasped, stunned by his odd behaviour, "What are you doing?"

"Just look at your finger."

Sure enough, a small drop of blood was pearling on the tip of her finger. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she whispered, "Do you really mean that…"

Without answering, Adrien pulled her close to him and pressed his lips on hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. He tasted coffee and smelled of vanilla, and Marinette melted in his embrace. She felt safe, felt at home within his warmth.

Once they broke apart for air, Adrien gently caressed her cheek, gazing into her eyes with something akin to adoration. "I love you Marinette. My soulmate. My everything."


	23. Chapter 23: Weak

_"Don't underestimate what a person can do to protect those they care about"_

 _Tumblr Drabble for Lucky_

 _Originally posted in December 2017_

* * *

This fight had been by far one of their hardest.

They were both out of their game, exhausted beyond words, by then only trying to survive.

Ladybug had lost the count of the times the akuma had slammed her against a building or hung her above the Seine, threatening to drown her.

Never before had they been struggling like this. Chat Noir had taken more than enough hits, throwing himself in front of her to shield her from incoming blows every chance he got. They were both beaten and tattered, exhaustion clear on their features despite how hard they both were trying to hide it.

One particularly nasty blow from the akuma sent them both rolling down some dirty alley, their transformation barely holding up at the seams. Ladybug's earrings beeped loudly, in perfect sync with Chat Noir's ring, and Ladybug heard herself say, "Go recharge, Chat. I'll hold her up."

She should've expected the disbelieving huff her partner answered her with. He was laying on the ground, a few feet away from her, cradling his arm to his heart. "Not in this lifetime, Bug. We're in this together."

"But you're _hurt,_ " Ladybug tried to protest.

It was a useless attempt, in all honesty.

Yes, Chat Noir probably had a broken arm, and a gash marring his forehead that would likely leave a scar behind. And she felt as if her entire body was covered in scratches and bumps, and her entire being hurt.

But she should've known better than to expect her partner to abide by her wishes when there was danger.

She could feel Tikki's magic wearing thin, barely holding on, and seeing as Chat Noir has taken fare more hits than her, she could only imagine how his own kwami was faring.

Right on cue, both of their transformations failed, leaving a shocked Marinette Dupain-Cheng facing a sheepish Adrien Agreste standing in front of each other in the alley.

Adrien.

Adrien, who had spent the past months opening up to her.

Adrien, who had been telling her how lonely his life at home was. How his father kept threatening to pull him out of public school everytime he did or said anything that displeased him.

Adrien, who was on a strict diet, who was barely skin and bones (obviously his dietitian wasn't taking into account his feats of strength as Chat Noir in his calorie intake).

Adrien, who had to book an appointment weeks prior to simply _talk_ to his father.

Adrien, who was lonely, lost, and uncared for at home.

Marinette felt bile rise in her throat.

Chat Noir, her wonderful kitty, her brave and selfless partner, who was always there for her, who always had a lame pun to lift her spirits up whenever she felt down, was Adrien Agreste.

And she would _die_ protecting him if she could help it.

The akuma entered the alley at this moment, staring down on both teenagers, chuckling lowly, "How pathetic. Chat Noir, you didn't even manage to protect _her_. How can you possibly want to protect all of Paris?"

Before Adrien could reply, Marinette stood in front of him, shielding him from the akuma. "You. Won't. Hurt. A. Single. Hair. On. His. Head," she said, punctuating each word carefully.

"Silly girl," the akuma snarled, stepping forward. "Do you really think a weak civilian like yourself can protect him from Hawkmoth's wrath?"

"Mari-marinette, d-don't. I can't l-lose-" Adrien weakly uttered, trying to stand up.

But Marinette wouldn't have it.

She straightened herself in front of the akuma, her gaze going severe.

"Don't underestimate what a person can do to protect those they care about," she said, her voice hard.

A second later, she was launching herself toward the akuma, fists clenched by her side.


	24. Chapter 24: Sweeter

_Tumblr Drabble for Perditaalotachocolate_

* * *

"Adrien Agreste, did you just hiss at me?"

He didn't even have the grace to look sheepish. "I'm telling you Mari, I'm haunted."

Marinette paused, holding her spoon full of batter up like a weapon. "Okay. First of all, you are not haunted by the spirit of a cat. You are Chat Noir, and it apparently comes with some… side-effects."

"But-" Adrien tried to interrupt, but Marinette went on, spoon still held menacingly.

"Second of all, kitty, I've told you plenty of time to stop dipping your fingers in my cupcake batter, it's unhygienic."

"But bugaboo! I am going to eat them!"

"Not all of them, silly kitty! You're going to get a stomachache again and Nathalie won't let you hang out at the bakery anymore."

At that, Adrien's eyes widened considerably, and he backed away, hands held up in surrender, "Anything but that! I'll behave, I swear!"

Marinette lowered her improvised weapon, resuming filling up the molds. "Wash those filthy hands of yours and come help me, kitty cat."

This was a dynamic Adrien loved and cherish.

Ever since they had gotten rid of the masks between them, his relationship with Marinette was perfect no matter on which side of the masks they were.

When in their superhero personas, they were more in sync than they had ever been. They understood each other without speaking, could predict their partner's next move without a hitch.

And as their civilian selves, they were closer than ever.

They ate lunch together everyday, Marinette bringing treats from the bakery in exchange for physics tutoring.

He spent every free minute at the bakery, refusing to bring her back in his cold, soulless house in fear of tainting her pure heart (his words, not hers.)

She beated him relentlessly at video games.

He annoyed her to no end with his ridiculous puns.

And then there was everything else.

Because, you see, upon revealing themselves to each other, Adrien had been unable to help himself from blurting out, "Oh my god I love you even more now."

To which Marinette had screamed.

Loudly.

Given a few minutes to collect her thoughts, though, she had dove in, grabbing his lips in a fiery kiss.

Marinette loved Adrien.

Chat Noir loved Ladybug.

Which meant that they were in love with each other like the stupid fools they were and then they were kissing like there were no tomorrow.

Their classmates were growing tired already of the affection marks between the pair.

But the bond between them was stronger than ever, and even in that moment, with Marinette waving orders at him in a Ladybug fashion, Adrien could only find himself falling deeper for her.

"Who knows," he taunted, "maybe the batter will be sweeter than you?"

A minute later, with Marinette holding him tight in some wrestling position he had never heard about, he had no choice but surrender in the lamest way possible.

"It was only a joke, baby, I swear."


	25. Chapter 25: Stitched With Love

Adrien's fingers grazed above the stitches once again.

He couldn't deny it.

It was obviously there, embroidered within his favourite scarf's threads.

 _Marinette._

How in the world he hadn't seen it before, he couldn't tell.

 _Marinette_ had made his scarf. His favourite scarf.

Confronting Nathalie about it had been surprisingly easy. She had admitted her wrongdoing right away, apologizing for it and explaining she had been afraid of disappointing his father.

Something Adrien could relate to quite easily, so he couldn't find it in himself to be mad at her.

But it only left him with an interesting enigma.

Marinette, the girl who was always stuttering around him, avoided his gaze like the plague and seemingly always ran away from him had _made_ him a scarf. In the first few weeks of him attending public school, no less.

But _why_?

Why would she do such a thing for him?

He didn't know much about knitting, but he knew that those things took time. His scarf was perfect, to a point where he had honestly believed it had been store bought. She had obviously put a lot of time and care into making him a birthday gift, and hadn't even tried to tell him she was the one who had gifted it to him.

That girl was a mystery.

* * *

Monday morning found Adrien sitting in class with jittery nerves. The scarf was neatly wrapped around his neck, and he had never been this anxious to see someone.

Nino flashed him a curious glance upon entering the classroom, slipping on the bench beside him. "Hey, you okay bro? You look like you're about to pass out."

"Yeah, just had a bad night, that's all," Adrien replied half-heartedly.

Whatever his best friend answered him was completely lost on him, though.

Because right this second, Marinette had slipped through the door behind the teacher, out of breath and slightly dishevelled, cheeks red and backpack tucked under her arm. She was smiling sheepishly as she sneaked her way to her seat, shrugging Alya's questions off.

Meanwhile, Adrien was having a small conniption.

How in the world hadn't he paid attention to her before?

The way the classroom's lighting was bringing out the bluish hue of her black hair was captivating, as was the deep, unique shade of her eyes. The freckles spread on her nose and cheeks were just plain adorable, and now that he paid close attention to his shy classmate, Adrien was noticing a brand new side of her.

There was something bubbly to Marinette, something that was purely lively.

She was laughing at something Alya had said now, her head slightly tilted back and her hand covering her pink, rosy lips.

Laughing suited her, Adrien realized. She looked like she was made out of peals of laughter and pastries, like she was only made of sweet things.

Even Nino curious nudge couldn't snap Adrien out of his daydreams, and Adrien spent the remaining of that day keeping close tabs on the shy baker daughter.

Had Marinette always been that pretty?

* * *

Tuesday found Adrien wandering into the classroom, his nose teasing him with delicious aromas.

Sure enough, standing at the front, Marinette was smiling at their classmates, a huge box from the bakery in her hands. When she noticed him standing in the doorway, she waved him in shyly. "Morning Adrien! I-I made macarons with Papa yesterday. Want one?"

Adrien peeked into the box of mouthwatering goodies, amazed by the colourful pastries displayed before him. There was a row of every rainbow colour, and they smelled heavenly.

"I… I can?" he asked, looking at her with wide eyes. He could feel his cheeks burn with a fiery blush, and could only hope she wouldn't notice.

"Of course, I made them so I could share them!" she beamed at him, her smile almost blinding him.

He took a bite into a green macaron, eyes widening as the flavours assaulted his taste buds. "Holy cow, Marinette, this is amazing! You did this all by yourself?"

She flushed, and it was by far the most adorable thing Adrien had ever seen. "Papa had to help me with the fillings, but I baked them mostly on my own, yes."

Adrien honestly meant to reply, " _It's amazing._ "

How his tongue slipped and he instead said, "You're amazing," he didn't know.

But the look on Marinette's face was well worth it.

She wasn't only pretty, she could also bake like heaven.

* * *

Wednesday was a fresh day from hell for Adrien.

He missed the first half of the day because of a photo shoot that dragged on. The photographer visibly had no clue about what he was doing, and was retaking shots that had been perfect to begin with.

So when he stumbled in the school's library halfway through lunch hour, he had honestly only been looking for a bit of quiet time before tackling the afternoon classes.

What he _hadn't_ expected, though, was to find Marinette absentmindedly doodling on a sketchpad by one of the windows.

"You aren't with Alya?" he softly asked her, still startling her out of her skin.

She regained her bearing quickly enough though, and smiled at him. "She and Nino are having a lunch date. Didn't want to third wheel them, you know?"

And boy did he know.

Alya and Nino weren't the oldest couple in their grade, Mylene and Ivan beat them to that. But they were by far the most demonstrative.

How many times had he himself excused himself from his best friend's company because the morning greeting kiss with Alya had become a little too heated for his tastes?

Smiling sympathetically, Adrien plopped himself in the chair beside her, casting a glance at her sketchbook. "What are you drawing?"

"I got bored with my dress design," she replied truthfully. "So I tried to draw the bird on the tree, right over there."

He followed her finger, pointing to a small, red bird nesting in a tree right outside the school's window. Her drawing was nearly lifelike, the colours popping out of the page and making the sketched bird look alive.

Pretty, baker, and apparently incredibly creative.

The more he learned about his classmate, the more fascinated Adrien grew with her.

* * *

When Adrien walked through their classroom's door on Thursday, the first thing he heard was the screams.

Chloe was making a scene again, going on about how unnatural it was for Rose and Juleka to be together in a romantic way.

Adrien felt his blood boil under his skin. There were a lot of things he was willing to let his childhood friend get away with, but homophobic comments weren't one of them.

Before he could speak, though, Marinette stepped up to Chloe, staring down at her. "You're only jealous, Chloe Bourgeois, because nobody loves you the way Rose and Juleka love each other. And let me tell you something, it's not with that nasty, hateful attitude of yours that this is gonna change anytime soon."

Shocked into silence, Chloe only managed to sit back in her seat, muttering an offended, "Whatever."

The rest of their classmates, though, Adrien included, heartily applauded Marinette's intervention.

Pretty as a button, good at baking sweets, insanely creative, and brave enough to stand up to bullies.

Adrien was liking the shy girl sitting behind him more and more each day.

* * *

On Friday morning, Adrien woke up with a headache.

It only got worse when he got to school and noticed he had forgotten to do his English homework.

Seemingly noticing his distress, Marinette smiled at him warmly, slipping her copy toward him, "Fencing practice ran out late?" she asked simply, taking him aback.

Of course, his predicament was more due to the akuma that had struck _after_ fencing practice.

But the fact that Marinette even _knew_ he had fencing practice on Thursdays evenings was telling a lot about how she was paying attention to her classmates.

He looked at her, startled, and simply said, "Yeah, it was kind of a nightmare."

Marinette only grinned further. "I'm pretty good in English, take my answers. I might or might not take some physics answers hostage in exchange."

As it turned out, Marinette was beautiful, a baker's daughter, creative, brave and the kindest person he had ever encounter.

And Adrien was in deep, deep trouble.

* * *

"Nathalie?" he asked abruptly on Friday night. "Do you think I could get some wool? And knitting needles? The online tutorial said a size seven works best for beginners."

She raised a surprised look from her tablet, but smiled at him nonetheless. "Sure, Adrien. What colour, the wool?"

"She loves pink a lot," Adrien blurted out before realizing what he had just said. "Erm…"

Nathalie's smile widened. "It's for that Dupain-Cheng girl, isn't it? That's very kind of you, Adrien."

He blushed deeply. "Well… she took a lot of her time to knit something for my birthday, and she's always making everyone handmade gifts and-"

"And you like her," Nathalie ended for him, making his blush go a few shades darker.

But Adrien couldn't deny it.

In the past week where he had paid extra attention to Marinette, he had found himself falling for her, and falling hard.

Nathalie only smiled softly, noting his demand on her tablet. "Pink is a good choice, Adrien, it'll be beautiful with the blue of her eyes. I'll have your bodyguard buy what you need tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Nathalie," Adrien said before turning around, walking back to his room.

Before he could reach the door, though, Nathalie's voice stopped him. "Adrien? If you need help with the knitting, you could always come and find me. I know a thing or two about it."

Adrien grinned at her, barely resisting the sudden urge to hurl himself toward her and hug the light out of her. "Thanks, Nathalie. I will."

* * *

As it turned out, knitting was a lot more difficult than he had expected.

He had ruined a great length of the hot pink wool the Gorilla had brought him. The tag said _Merino,_ which Adrien didn't have a clue about what it meant, but the wool was shiny and soft to the touch.

After watching what felt like hundreds of online tutorials though, and running to Nathalie a few times because he had lost the wrestle against his bright green sewing needles, he still managed to produce something that vaguely resembled a square of wool.

It was far from perfect, and his fingers itched to undo the entire thing and start over, but time was running out faster than he would've liked, so he stuck with the shapeless square of knit and resumed his knitting, trying to keep the stitches as even as he could.

Hours of careful work and a few more trips to implore Nathalie's help later, Adrien held in his hands his very first knitted scarf.

Exhausted, he stumbled into his bed after carefully wrapping it in colourful paper, rubbing his bleary eyes.

Tomorrow, he would give her the fruit of his labour.

Tomorrow, he would tell her how much she meant to him.

* * *

Monday morning found one restless Adrien Agreste standing at the bottom of the school stairs, a colourful package tucked under his arm.

When Nino walked up to him, looking at him curiously, Adrien all but dismissed him. "I'm only giving someone a long overdue thank you," was his explanation. Alya received the same treatment, only to be shoved aside when Marinette finally made her appearance, out of breath from having run all the way from the bakery.

"I'm here guys!" she announced cheerily, before noticing Adrien and his odd, stiff posture. "Adrien, is everything alright?"

He unceremoniously shoved his package in her unsuspecting hands, blushing furiously. "I… I found out about how _you_ knitted my favourite scarf, and, well, I tried to make something for you back, so here."

Marinette blinked, obviously taken aback.

Hesitantly, like she was afraid he was messing with her, she carefully peeled the tape of the package away, enthusiasm quickly growing. When she saw what was inside, she literally _squealed._ "Oh my god Adrien!"

"It's far from perfect, and I had to get a lot of help from my father's assistant and-"

She cut his rambling short by _launching_ herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. "You shouldn't have! I love it, I love it so much!"

Adrien was taken aback by how _right_ the girl felt in his arms. She was petite and lean, but muscular at the same time.

And she smelled heavenly good.

Vanilla, and baked goods.

She smelled like _home_ should smell.

He wrapped his arms around her despite himself, and rested his chin on the crown of her head. "You like it that much? But the knitting is uneven, and even with Nathalie's help I had a lot of troubles to put the beads on the fringe and-"

"But _you_ did it, Adrien. For me. Nothing in the world could have made me happier," Marinette replied, beaming at him happily.

Was it the stunning blue of her eyes, shining like a gem in the soft lighting of the morning?

Was it the soft hue of her lips, glistening as she unconsciously licked them?

Was it how the hot pink scarf he had so painstakingly knitted her was hugging her neck?

Whatever it was, right this second, a dam broke inside Adrien Agreste.

He leaned in, heart pounding in his chest, and he kissed Marinette Dupain-Cheng under the cheers and hoorahs of their classmates.

Turned out, Marinette was wrong.

 _Something_ could make her happier than her scarf.


	26. Chapter 26: Blanket

"You can't banish me! This is my bed too," Adrien cried, pushing Marinette aside. His wife only groaned, hugging the blanket to herself and rolling over.

Adrien chased her, peppering kisses on her shoulder blade. "Marinette, I'm serious. Give me my blanket back."

"No. Knit your own blanket, minou."

Her voice is sleepy, she was probably thinking she was dreaming.

...time for a little bit of fun, then.

"Mari, my lady, did you feed the unicorn today?"

Adrien had trouble keeping a straight face, but his wife rolled back into his side, seeking his warmth. "I didn't, it's your job. You feed the horses with pointy foreheads, I feed the kids. Was on the marriage license."

"But, Marinette, the narwhals are awaiting their food," he prompts her further, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Can't they see I'm busy? This akuma isn't going to vanquish himself," Marinette replied as her arms wrapped around Adrien's midsection.

That's when Adrien knew.

Sleepy Marinette kept spewing nonsense and hogging the blankets to herself.

But only awake Marinette cuddled with him.

"Are you sure that's the decision you want to make?" he asked, his voice soft. When she only rested her head in his collarbone in answer, he chuckled.

"Well that's tragic," he said, before kissing her deeply.


	27. Chapter 27: Cuter

"Stop being so cute, I can't afford to fall in love with you further."

The words came on a cold, winter night. Ladybug was sitting on one of the highest beams of the Eiffel Tower, humming some La vie en rose to herself.

"What do you mean?" she asked, startled.

He sat down beside her on the beam, smiling at her warmly. "Sitting all by yourself here, singing one of my favourite songs with that red beanie on your head? You can't possibly be cuter. You're going to kill me."

Ladybug stared at him with a blank face. "But… I'm… I'm not doing anything?"

"You're being you," Chat Noir replied. "That's enough."

She stayed silent for a few minutes.

This wasn't the first time Chat Noir told her something like that, but there was something different in his tone that night.

He was softer, more tender.

More honest.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked, unsure if her heart could handle his answer, either way.

He had a sad smile. "I'm tired of pretending, Ladybug. I'm in love with you. I have been ever since you fell on me from the sky."

She gasped audibly but scooted closer to him on the beam. "You… you really mean that?"

"I do," Chat Noir answered, raising a hand to cup her cheek. "I've… I've been meaning to tell you for a while."

Something in his earnest expression, something in the way he looked at her broke a dam inside her.

Years of restraint, years of denying went through the window.

Ladybug leaned in, pressing her lips on Chat Noir's at long last.

And it was the best decision she ever made.


	28. Chapter 28: Oblivious

Chloe flopped back on her bed, rubbing her eyes with frustration.

"Those two _stupid, oblivious, ridiculous_ dorks!" she exclaimed, "Detransforming in the same alley, barely even a _meter_ from each other, and yet, they are too _dumb_ to see each other!"

Pollen flew in front of her, looking at her charge with worried eyes. "Chloe? Are you okay?"

"Of _course_ Ladybug had to be Marinette!" Chloe resumed, ignoring her kwami. Why would she have been someone at the very least _decent_? She _had_ to be infuriating, ridiculous, irritating, kind, brave and selfless Marinette…

...Oh.

She could see how it made sense, in a way.

"Wait," Chloe suddenly said, jolting upward in her bed. "If _Marinette_ is Ladybug, and Chat Noir is Adrien, and Chat Noir loves Ladybug and Marinette has the most disgusting crush on Adrikins, well then it means…"

Even the Grand Paris' thick walls couldn't stifle Chloe's frustrated scream.

* * *

Hours later, she was still pacing in her room, mumbling to herself.

"They are both stupid, oblivious dorks. Of course, I'd want someone better for my Adrikins, but I want him happy, so Maribug will have to do."

Pollen rolled her eyes, having long given up on understanding the nonsense sprouting from her charge's lips at the moment.

"But how should I go at it? Adrien is completely oblivious to Marinette and she can't string two words in a row around him. Adrien and Ladybug are disgustingly crushing on each other, the blush fest whenever they interact is revolting. And Ladybug won't even give the time of day to Chat Noir, she's too focused on our mission and doing the _right thing_."

She brutally stopped pacing, dizzying her poor kwami. "But Chat Noir and Marinette are friends. Oh my gosh how did Marinette pull that off without Chat Noir picking up on her double identity? But those dorks are already friends, if something can work, it's gotta be this.

"But how can I bring those two closer?"

Pollen pointed at the clock, giving it a pointed look. "It's a quarter past midnight, Chloe. Don't you think you should get to bed and leave the planning for tomorrow?"

* * *

Marinette was dreaming.

There was no other explanation.

There was an akuma on the loose, and out of nowhere, Queen B had grabbed her before she could even transform and had perched her on the highest beam of the Eiffel Tower.

"Don't worry," the blond heroine had said, "Chat Noir will come and get you as soon as it's safe."

On those words, she was gone.

And it was giving Marinette a headache.

Because she had to transform and fly to help her teammates. Which wasn't a problem in itself.

But as soon as the akuma was defeated, she would have to detransform and rush back to the Eiffel Tower, detransform and manage to look afraid _before_ Chat Noir got to her.

 _Yay._

The akuma was thankfully dealt with swiftly, and Ladybug fled the scene without their usual fistbump. Looking a little bit lost, Chat Noir needed a nudge from his honeybee partner to remind him he still had a classmate to save.

* * *

The first few times that it happened, Marinette was confused.

Starting from the fifth time or so, she was getting frustrated.

It was always the same song. Queen B would grab her before she had the chance to transform and stuck her in some ridiculously hard to get out of place for her civilian self, stating Chat Noir would come for her later.

Chat Noir didn't seem to be more aware of what was going on than her. His weekly visits at the bakery became almost nightly as they both tried to figure out what the heck was wrong with Queen B and why she kept targeting his princess in such a manner.

They hence spent a lot of time together, playing video games and drinking hot cocoa as they dissected the superheroine odd behaviour. If they fell asleep in each other's arms on Marinette's bed in the middle of a heartfelt conversation on a few occasions though, it was totally unintentional…

...mostly.

They ultimately came to the logical conclusion that Queen B had a huge crush on Marinette and was dealing poorly with it.

Up until the day both Ladybug and Chat Noir were scrambling for a safe spot to detransform after a really rough akuma.

Up until the day, with only two spots to go on both miraculouses, they both sought shelter in the same janitor closet.

And up until the day Queen B ever so helpfully locked them in, and left giggling madly to herself, ignoring their pleas to set them free before the inevitable happened.

Sure enough, their transformations fell as they were hugging, bracing themselves for what was to come.

"Did she seriously just do that?" Marinette asked, her voice oddly weak in the secluded space.

Adrien chuckled against her hair. "You better bee-lieve it, my lady. Looking at the count of three?"

There was a shy nod under his chin. If his voice shuddered as he counted to three, neither of them felt the need to mention it.

And if there was a _lot_ of gasps, squeals, words and kisses when they _finally_ looked into each other's eyes as their civilian selves, no one was the wiser.

* * *

Trapping Ladybug and Chat Noir in the janitor closet was _almost_ unintentional.

With only two beeps to go on both miraculous, it really _wasn't_ an attempt on Queen B's part to force them to reveal themselves to each other.

No, really.

...Okay.

Maybe.

But as she made sure the door was effectively locked behind them, Queen B definitely had no afterthought.

* * *

The day Marinette Dupain-Cheng walked into class with Adrien Agreste, hand in hand and both looking freshly kissed, they both were staring expectantly at Chloe Bourgeois.

Surely, the explosion would be spectacular.

Adrien wrapped his fingers around Marinette's, trying to convey some bravery to her.

Nothing.

Nothing could've prepared them for Chloe's reaction, though.

"OH THANK GOD THEY _FINALLY_ FIGURED IT OUT!" the mayor's daughter screeching, almost fainting from the apparently violent emotion.

...And no.

Neither Marinette nor Adrien understood what it was all about.

But they could love each other in the open now, so what?


End file.
